The Mykolaiv Defense Council has banned open-air school assemblies on September 1

The Mykolaiv Regional Defense Council has decided to ban all public events held outdoors until September 1.

All holiday assemblies are permitted only indoors and with full compliance with safety regulations, according to the publication Mykolaiv News, citing Georgiy Reshetilov, acting head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration.

According to him, these measures were taken following an analysis of the latest enemy attacks in the Mykolaiv region. The meeting also developed “steps to enhance the region’s resilience”—though the official did not elaborate on what exactly he meant by this phrasing.

The decision to ban street celebrations is justified by a real threat: air raid sirens in the region are sounding one after another. Last week, schoolchildren had to hold their traditional Friday assemblies right in bomb shelters. How the first-bell ceremony will go tomorrow, September 1, and whether the shelling will allow them to hold even these indoor assemblies—remains a big question.

Oleksandr Lonchak, head of the Department of Education and Science of the Odesa Regional Administration, also recommended thatthe heads of educational institutions in the region refrain from holding traditional mass assemblies and instead move the celebratory events to classrooms and small groups.

Кирило Бойко