UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Apr 15 — On April 6, the Russian army attacked the lyceum in Staryi Saltiv for the second time, said Anton Paliei, the head of the Staryi Saltiv settlement military administration, in a comment for Kharkiv Today. Gwara Media went to the settlement to document the damage Russians put the building through for the second time.
Staryi Saltiv is a rural settlement located about 10 miles (17-18 kilometers) from the Russian border and more than 24 miles (40 kilometers) east from Kharkiv city. In 2022, Russian troops occupied the settlement for several months. Russian attacks damaged and destroyed a significant part of the residential, civilian, critical, and educational infrastructure there. The lyceum was one of the buildings that Russians destroyed in 2022. In 2023, about 700 pupils studied there online.
The rebuilding of the lyceum in Staryi Saltiv started in 2023, and continued through 2024. The Kharkiv Oblast’s military administration reported that they would restore the lyceum to create conditions for reopening the education facility. The administration planned for 780 pupils (980 maximum) to study there when offline education would be allowed.
After the reconstruction, teachers would conduct lessons, individual consultations, and different events for kids online while staying in the lyceum.
On the night of April 6, the Russian army attacked the lyceum in Staryi Saltive with five drones, halting the rebuilding efforts.
According to Anton Paliei, windows in the lyceum were blown out, and the walls and building itself were severely damaged because of the attack. Now, the reconstruction is on hold.
The Prosecutor’s Office added that the temporary building that was used to store and give away humanitarian aid on the lyceum territory caught fire in the Russian drone attack.
The Department of Education, Youth, and Sport of the Staryi Saltiv community had already paid 148 million hryvnias/$3.6 million out of 205 million hryvnias/$4.9 million allocated for repair works to the contractor’s account before Russia damaged the lyceum again.
The community also still wants to build a shelter on the territory of lyceum for 145 million hryvnias/$3.5 million. According to the documents, the construction workers are supposed to make the shelter from precast concrete elements, install an inner water supply and sewage system, communication networks, two elevators, and fire alarm systems.
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