Sanchez in Donbass: first-hand reporting on Ukrainian war crimes from Starobelsk
Published 25 May, 2026 17:31On this unique episode of RT’s Sanchez Effect, Rick goes directly to the site of the Ukrainian drone attack in Russia’s Lugansk Republic that heavily damaged a local college and nearby residential buildings, killing 21 civilians and wounding 65 others. Ukraine claims it was targeting Rubicon – an elite Russian drone unit. Rick goes through the city and asks locals and officials whether that’s true. He quickly learns that Ukraine’s claims are absolutely false, as locals express immense support for Russia. In the second part of the episode, Rick invites RT host Chay Bowes, RT senior correspondent Murad Gazdiev, and DD Geopolitics senior journalist Christopher Helali to sum up everything they’ve observed. The journalists are shocked by how the Western media has ignored the Ukrainian attack and instead focused on condemning Russia’s retaliatory strikes on Kiev’s military infrastructure. Rick and his colleagues take particular issue with CNN and the BBC for branding things that they’ve seen with their very own eyes as ‘Russian disinformation.’ You can catch this episode and more on RT International or BitChute at RICKSANCHEZTV.