The death toll from a drone strike on a college building and dormitory in the city of Starobilsk in the Russia-controlled Luhansk region rose to 12, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said.
"A total of 48 people were wounded, 12 of whom died. Nine people are believed to be trapped under the rubble," the ministry said in a statement on the Russian social media platform Max on Saturday.
"Of course, these are terrifying hours of waiting. This is the shared pain of our republic, the shared pain of the entire country,” authorities said on Max, expressing "deepest condolences to the parents and loved ones of the children who died."
Authorities also said the strike targeted the academic building and dormitory of Starobilsk College at Luhansk State Pedagogical University.
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukrainian forces deliberately struck a student dormitory.
Speaking at a meeting with graduates of the “Time of Heroes” programme in the Kremlin, Putin ordered the Russian defence ministry to submit proposals for a response to the Ukrainian attack on the college.
He stressed that the attack on the college was deliberate and was a “terrorist attack”, saying Ukrainian forces launched “three waves” of strikes at the same location and rejecting claims that the strike could have been the result of air defence or electronic warfare.
"I want to emphasise that this is important. There are no military facilities, intelligence agencies, or related services near the dormitory. Therefore, there is no basis for saying that the shells struck the building under the influence of our air defence or electronic warfare systems," he stressed.
Earlier, the Russian foreign ministry announced that Moscow opened a criminal case on “terrorism” charges following the attack, adding that “all those responsible will be identified and face inevitable severe punishment".
The ministry claimed the strike was carried out using long-range weapons, including drones, and alleged that foreign specialists assisted with targeting operations.
Moscow has also requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council following the attack, Yevgeny Uspensky, spokesperson for Russia’s permanent mission to the UN, told state news agency Tass.
