Putin threatens Ukraine with "inevitable punishment" for strike on college housing Rubicon in Starobilsk

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has made open threats against Ukraine, claiming that punishment for strikes on a college in temporarily occupied Starobilsk, Luhansk Oblast, would be "inevitable" for everyone involved.

His statement was quoted by Russian media, Censor.NET reports.

Another round of threats

The head of the Kremlin regime voiced the threats during a special meeting with the heads of Russian repressive agencies. Putin summoned Russia’s prosecutor general and the head of the Investigative Committee, ordering them to find those responsible for the explosion at the college, where Russian occupiers were based, at any cost.

"I ask you to give your assessment of what happened and report on how the work to identify these criminals is progressing. All of them must receive the punishment they deserve. And it will be inevitable," the dictator threatened on camera.

Putin tried to intimidate Kyiv with consequences and accused the Ukrainian side of switching to new warfare tactics.

"The Kyiv leadership has decided to open a new chapter in its series of crimes, to give the conflict a new quality. Well, that is their choice," the war criminal concluded, calling the 22 May explosions in the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk Oblast "a bloody crime of the Ukrainian junta".

Background

On the night of 22 May 2026, Ukrainian forces struck occupied Starobilsk in Luhansk Oblast. Russian propagandists claimed that Ukraine had attacked a dormitory housing 86 teenagers aged 14 to 18, as well as other civilians. Vladimir Putin claimed it was allegedly a "targeted strike by the AFU on a civilian facility" and ordered a "response" to be prepared.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces has already denied this information and said that one of the headquarters of the Rubicon unit was hit in the area of Starobilsk at the time.
The day before, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it was planning new strikes on Kyiv and called on foreigners and diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital.
The targets, it claimed, would be "sites where UAVs used by the Kyiv regime with the assistance of NATO specialists are designed, manufactured, programmed and prepared for use".