Geneva, August 29

More than 1,300 schools have been totally destroyed in government-held areas of Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, the UN children’s fund Unicef said on Tuesday. It said several other schools have been badly damaged. About a third of school-age children there are attending classes fully , it said.

Putin not to attend Prigozhin’s funeral

• Russian President Vladimir Putin is not planning to attend the funeral for Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin said, following reports that he will be buried on Tuesday.
• Prigozhin who headed the Wagner group had rebelled against Putin in June and his move lasted a few hours.

The war followed Covid disruptions, meaning some Ukrainian children were facing a fourth consecutive school year of disruptions as they return to classes this week after the summer break, Unicef said.

“This has left Ukraine’s children struggling to progress in their education,” said Regina De Dominicis, Unicef Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. — Reuters