Explosions in Russia: schools near the border with Ukraine are closed until January 19

Following a series of deadly Ukrainian strikes, Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, announced on Thursday it would extend school holidays at some schools. In addition, local authorities recommended that universities switch to distance learning.

“I am informing you about the decisions taken: to extend school holidays from January 9 to 19” in municipalities, in particular in the city of Belgorod, a regional center with a population of about 360 thousand people, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. “Technical colleges and universities located in these municipalities are encouraged to conduct distance classes. If necessary, we will extend the vacation,” he added.

Belgorod – the target of Ukrainian bombings

While the governor did not specify the reasons for this decision, his region, which is already regularly attacked, has been the target of large-scale bombing by Ukrainian forces in recent days. One of these attacks on Belgorod on Saturday killed 25 people and injured more than a hundred. On Tuesday evening, the city was also attacked by four waves of Ukrainian missiles, leaving one person dead and eleven injured.

These new strikes are taking place in a more than tense context. At the same time, Moscow has been carrying out massive attacks for several days, as a result of which dozens of people have been killed and wounded. At least four people have been killed in explosions in eastern and central Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities said on Thursday.

In the Kirovograd region (in central Ukraine), a Russian missile strike “on an industrial facility” killed one person and “eight were injured” in Kropyvnytskyi, Governor Andrei Raikovich said on Telegram. National operator Ukrenergo admitted in a press release that one of its infrastructures was “damaged.”