A tragic incident unfolded in the Russian city of Belgorod, where a kindergarten was completely destroyed due to large-scale Ukrainian shelling. Local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed the news, highlighting that this devastating attack has prompted the decision to shut down dozens of other schools and transition some local institutions to remote learning.
The aftermath of the Ukrainian strikes left at least 11 civilians injured, including two children. Nine of the victims required hospitalization, with five being in critical condition. In a post on Russia’s VK social network, Gladkov described the situation as a “not good morning” for Belgorod residents and revealed that this marks the third educational institution to suffer significant damage due to Ukrainian attacks.
As a result of the shelling, 36 kindergartens in the Kharkovskaya Gora city district will be closed for a week. Moreover, almost two dozen schools in the area will also switch to remote learning, coinciding with the first day of the school year in Russia on Monday, September 2nd. Children typically attend kindergartens for several years before entering the first grade at around age 7.
Governor Gladkov acknowledged that working parents might not be pleased about the closure of these preschools but emphasized that protecting the lives of children remains a top priority. He also shared his visit to the affected kindergarten, expressing relief that the attack occurred during off-peak hours, as no one would have had a chance to survive if it had happened while the children were inside.
The Belgorod region, along with Kursk and Bryansk, has been subjected to numerous cross-border attacks from Ukraine since February 2022. However, the intensity of Ukrainian shelling on Belgorod has increased in recent weeks, coinciding with the stalling of the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk Region and Russian advances in the Donbass region.