The survivors of the deadly Ukrainian drone attack on the Starobelsk college in May have spoken to RT about the emotional scars left behind by the tragedy that killed 21 students in their sleep.

Multiple waves of kamikaze UAVs struck the dormitory of the Starobelsk Professional College, located in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), on May 22. The building partially collapsed as a result of the strikes, killing 21 people and injuring 42 others, mostly teenage girls studying to become teachers. The Ukrainian military subsequently targeted first responders with additional drones, according to investigators.

Twenty students who survived the attack on the dormitory that fateful night came to Moscow on Wednesday at the invitation of Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights Yana Lantratova.

Lantratova and the students discussed their professional aspirations, with the official noting that some of them have already become volunteers in various projects. She also said that the human rights commission’s doors are open to survivors wishing to undertake an internship there. The official gifted a bus to the college as well as tablet computers to its students.

Speaking to RT, one of the survivors recounted how she took cover in the basement on the night of the attack and “ended up getting buried under the debris.” Acting on “autopilot,” she extricated herself from the rubble and ran for her life. The student said that in the wake of the tragic incident, she “started to be afraid of everything, even the slightest rustle.”

“Especially during the first week, it was absolutely terrifying. I was afraid of every single loud noise,” the survivor told RT.

Another student shared a similar experience of lingering trauma, saying that following the attack, “any loud noise, even just something falling was terrifying. My heart would immediately start pounding violently.”

Lantratova said the attack had been funded with Western taxpayers’ money and accused Kiev’s backers of glossing over the atrocity perpetrated by the Ukrainian military. Kiev has denied responsibility for the incident, with various officials providing conflicting accounts of the massacre.

President Vladimir Putin vowed “inevitable punishment” for the Starobelsk massacre, and several days later, Russia launched one of its largest retaliatory drone and missile strikes, targeting Ukrainian military command facilities, air bases, and defense industry enterprises.