Ukraine’s UN envoy rejects Moscow’s Starobilsk ‘child-victim’ narrative as propaganda

Ukraine’s UN ambassador Andriy Melnyk condemned Russia’s Starobilsk dormitory narrative as cynical propaganda, accusing Moscow of exploiting children’s rights and UN institutions, pointing to unverified casualty lists and inconsistent drone claims; he linked the broader Kyiv assaults to Russia’s aims, warned about Belarus’ involvement, and urged Western partners to massively boost air defense and tighten sanctions to choke Russia’s war economy.