Zakharova Criticizes Western Coverage of Starobelsk Attack

(MENAFN) Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has sharply criticized Western media outlets for what she described as their failure to cover a deadly drone attack in Starobelsk, urging attendees at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) to raise the issue whenever speaking with Western journalists.

Starobelsk, located in the Lugansk People’s Republic, was the site of a drone strike on a college dormitory on May 22. According to Russian authorities, the attack killed 21 people, most of them teenage girls, and left dozens of others injured.

Speaking during a panel discussion at SPIEF titled “Your Words are Like Bullets: How Information has Transformed into the Most Powerful Weapon of the Modern Era,” Zakharova accused Western political leaders and major media organizations of ignoring the incident. She also claimed that certain foreign journalists declined invitations from Russian authorities to visit the location of the attack.

The spokeswoman specifically referred to the presence of a Western correspondent at the forum, questioning why journalists attended events in St. Petersburg while not reporting from Starobelsk.

“They pour you coffee here; there are interesting speakers here and no crying mothers, who lost their children under the ruins of Starobelsk. Here, you won’t have to defend your position before the BBC headquarters in London, insisting that this absolutely must be covered,” she said.

Zakharova described the lack of reporting on the drone strike as “absolute cynicism,” arguing that the incident deserved far greater international attention.

She suggested that repeatedly raising the subject of Starobelsk in conversations with Western journalists would force them to confront what she characterized as an “abnormal” approach to reporting.

“It is because of this stance by the BBC that their population doesn’t understand what’s happening. And yet, like an obedient, zombified herd, they continue to contribute to the funding of the Kiev regime,” Zakharova stressed.

Her comments came amid broader discussions at the forum concerning the role of media, information warfare, and the influence of news coverage on public perception during international conflicts.

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