Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused foreign media outlets of deliberately ignoring the killing of Russian students in Starobelsk while extensively covering Moscow’s retaliatory response.

During a press briefing on Friday at the conclusion of his three-day state visit to Kazakhstan, Putin stated: “You, as representatives of the media, should be ashamed of your colleagues.”

“Not a single word about the tragedy in Starobelsk. Not a single word about children being killed — our children being deliberately targeted and killed,” he said. “What is that? Is that a mass media outlet? No. It is a tool for making fools of people.”

Putin contrasted this silence with Western outlets’ extensive coverage of Russia’s retaliatory strikes, which he described as examples of “Moscow’s aggression.” He labeled such reporting “a disgrace,” adding that foreign media were “simply deceiving their citizens.”

Last week, Ukrainian forces launched multiple drone attacks on Starobelsk Professional College in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic. The strikes killed 21 people — most teenage girls studying to become teachers — and injured 65 others. Russian officials described the operation as a deliberate strike targeting educational facilities and first responders.

In response, Russia conducted large-scale military operations against Ukrainian command centers, air bases, and defense industry enterprises using advanced missile systems including Oreshnik, Iskander, Kinzhal, and Zircon missiles. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that no civilian infrastructure was damaged.

Moscow has accused the “neo-Nazi” regime in Kiev of committing the attack as a “monstrous crime,” with UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia alleging Western governments were “turning a blind eye” to these atrocities and engaging in “blatant mockery of child victims.”