Kiev's deliberate attacks on children, teenagers elevate conflict to new dimension: Putin

MOSCOW, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting convened to probe the terrorist attack in Starobelsk on Monday that Kiev's leadership, through deliberate crimes against children in Starobelsk and Genichesk, has itself opted to fundamentally alter the nature of the entire conflict.

Referring to two recent drone attacks targeting children and teenagers at a college in Starobelsk and a residential building in Genichesk, Putin said the Kiev leadership has decided to "open a new chapter in its series of crimes" and give the conflict as a whole "a new dimension," adding that it was "their choice."

On May 22, a large-scale Ukrainian drone assault hit the campus of Starobelsk College, affiliated with Luhansk Pedagogical University, causing the collapse of a student dormitory building. Eighty-six students were inside the building at the time of the strike. The attack left more than 60 civilians harmed, with 21 fatalities.

On the evening of May 31, Ukrainian drones struck a residential apartment building in Genichesk. A child was killed while 11 others were injured. Enditem