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Kiev forbids schools in militia-controlled regions to begin classes September 1

The Ukrainian Education Ministry said any steps to organize classes in militia-controlled regions would be dangerous and unlawful

DONETSK, September 01./ITAR-TASS/. The Ukrainian Education Ministry on Monday forbade schools in the militia-controlled south-eastern regions to begin classes on September 1.

It said a new academic year would begin there after “the liberation” of these regions, presumably from October 1.

The ministry said any steps to organize classes in militia-controlled regions would be dangerous and unlawful. “The participation of teachers in such provocative actions would be unacceptable and would have legal consequences,” it said.

Classes can begin only in those schools that are located in areas controlled by the Ukrainian authorities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The Information Ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said on Monday that the new academic year would begin on October 1. “By that time, as the DPR army advances and the military situation improves, a considerable number of pupils and teachers will return to the liberated towns and cities, and the teaching will become safer,” the ministry said.

It said 93 schools, 11 colleges, 9 university buildings and 27 preschool facilities in Donetsk had been damaged or destroyed by Ukrainian army shelling.