Sessions at the children’s camp “Artek” in occupied Crimea have been canceled, according to the Telegram channel Krovavaya Barynya (“Bloody Lady”), run by Ksenia Sobchak, which cited messages from parents posted on social media.
Update. Sergey Aksyonov, the Russian-installed head of Crimea, announced that from June 22 through September 1, booking spots and accepting children’s groups at camps on the occupied peninsula is prohibited. “I ask for your understanding of the restrictions that have been put in place. In the current situation, these measures are necessary to ensure public safety,” Aksyonov said.
Parents said a bus carrying children bound for the camp was turned back to Kerch without explanation. One mother said her child’s session had been scheduled to begin that day, and that Artek had refused to accept some of the children without any explanation — those children were then forced to spend the night at a college in Kerch.
The channel reports that some chaperones and organizers “were informed of the possible turnaround of some children’s groups and their return to their home locations.”
Another mother said her son had been set to attend the “Art-Kvest” camp in Crimea, but was told that camp would also not be accepting its session. At the same time, some parents said their children had managed to arrive for the session and were already on the camp’s grounds.
A fuel crisis has persisted in Crimea since late May, as Ukrainian drones have targeted fuel tankers and other trucks supplying the peninsula along the R-280 “Novorossiya” highway.
Overnight on June 21, following a Ukrainian strike, parts of Crimea were left without power due to what authorities described as “technical damage” to the electrical grid. Officials urged residents to limit electricity use while repairs were underway. In Sevastopol, scheduled power outages were introduced.
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