MOSCOW – By attacking the college in Starobelsk, Ukraine has assumed full responsibility for escalating the conflict and undermining political-diplomatic efforts to resolve it, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

"By committing an atrocity against children in Starobelsk, the Kyiv regime and its handlers assume full responsibility for the escalation of hostilities and the undermining of political-diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict," the statement, published on the ministry's website, said.

Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia also said that this attack "vividly confirms the treachery and unreliability of Kyiv as a negotiating partner."

A college in Starobelsk, in the Luhansk region, was attacked by Ukraine on Friday. Ten people were killed and more than 40 were injured, said a report by RT citing the Luhansk chief.

The Russian side emphasizes that the strike could not have been accidental, while Ukraine denies Russia's accusations.