Friday marks exactly one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. Ever since this day, 24 February last year, many Ukrainian pupils have been allowed to go to school as long as there are buildings with electricity to hold classes in. But this week is not like the others. The governing authorities fear that Russia will step up the offensive to mark the anniversary of the invasion. Teachers and parents in Ukraine have therefore been told to keep their children at home from tomorrow until Friday. Until then, only schools with functioning bomb shelters are allowed to remain open, following advice from the Ministry of Education in the country. Some schools in Ukraine have had to improvise. Here, a Ukrainian teacher has invited the school class to his own living room. Photo: ANATOLII STEPANOV / AFP This is to “preserve the life and health of everyone who participated in the education, for security reasons before the annual marking”, the ministry wrote in a statement on Telegram. Hundreds of schools have so far been destroyed as a result of Russia’s war of invasion in Ukraine, reports the Reuters news agency. The start of the year has been marked by the threat of a major Russian offensive, when the soldiers who have been mobilized are finally sent to the battlefield. This has not started yet UN: Major civilian casualties More than 8,000 civilians have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, the UN’s human rights office said on Tuesday. About 90 percent of these were killed by explosive weapons, they say further, and base the information on several dozen sources in the country. The number shows a significant increase since the last one that was reported, just over a week ago. Then the office reported 7,199 civilians killed. Ivan (11) walks through his school in Chernihiv, which was bombed by the Russians in March. Photo: Emilio Morenatti / AP – The statement we are publishing today shows the loss and suffering people have been exposed to since Russia started its armed conflict, says the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk. – Our data is only the tip of the iceberg. The burden that the civilians are asking is unbearable. Türk says that almost 18 million people are in desperate need of humanitarian aid, and 14 million have had to flee their homes. – The very youngest to the very oldest have been hit. Students’ education has been interrupted or disrupted by attacks on learning institutions, while older people and people with disabilities have been faced with enormous challenges, he added. Most of those who stay in the area near the front line are the elderly, who are often reluctant or unable to leave dangerous places, the human rights office states. A bomb classroom in Izium, Monday 20 February. According to the UN, the vast majority of civilians who have died during the war were killed by explosives. Photo: SERGEY BOBOK / AFP Depicts attacks on residential areas and a bus station A military commander in southern Ukraine says six people have been killed and 12 injured by Russian attacks in the city of Kherson. – During the bloody dictator’s speech, peaceful citizens in Kherson were injured and killed in the middle of the street, in their homes and at work, said spokesman Vladislav Nazarov, referring to Vladimir Putin’s statements on Tuesday morning. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyj, has also commented on the attack. Several civilians are said to have been killed during a Russian attack on a bus station in Kherson on Tuesday. Photo: Nina Lyashonok / AP – The Russian military fired heavily in Kherson. Again they mercilessly kill the civilians, he said. – A car park, residential area, a block of flats and public transport is a hit. There are pictures of dead people and major injuries in several places in Kherson, but the exact details of the attack have not been independently confirmed. Russia has previously denied attacking civilian targets in Ukraine, and the president said in his speech today that they are “not at war with the Ukrainian people”. Both the Nato chief and US President Joe Biden have strongly criticized Putin, who today gave the West responsibility for the war of aggression in Ukraine.
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Ukraine asks schools to close for fear of anniversary offensive – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
