Russia’s newly appointed human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova, visited the destroyed college dorm in the town of Starobelsk on Sunday following a deadly Ukrainian attack that killed at least 21 people, mainly teenage girls.
The commissioner met with foreign journalists who had been invited by Russian authorities to report from the scene. Over 50 reporters from 19 countries accepted the invitation, while prominent Western news organizations did not participate.
A journalist who arrived on the scene shortly after the attack and assisted in the search and rescue operations over a period of nearly two days walked Lantratova through the heavily damaged building.
“We arrived here hours after the attack occurred. Nobody knew what was happening yet, everyone was in panic,” the reporter told the human rights chief.
The pair inspected the site, where students’ belongings, books, and destroyed furniture remained scattered. Blood-stained blankets were visible in a hall where first responders had removed victims and parents identified their children among the deceased.
“As a mother, as a human rights activist, I can’t even imagine what a mother feels at this moment. We just mourn with them,” Lantratova said.
Lantratova noted that there was no evidence of military personnel at the dormitory, contradicting claims by Ukrainian authorities. The Ukrainian military had alleged the building housed a Russian drone unit, but no such evidence existed.
“They say there are military personnel here. There are only children’s toys; there are only children’s belongings. There’s nothing military here,” Lantratova stated.
