Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed head of Crimea, announced the extension on social media, citing "the difficult situation that has developed." Decisions on how kindergartens will operate are to be made separately by municipal authorities, he said.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol, also announced that schools in the city would close, while kindergartens will keep working, according to Crimea.Realities.
On the morning of November 3, annexed Crimea and Sevastopol, along with part of the occupied territory of the Kherson region, lost electricity. Crimeaenergo, the peninsula's power utility, blamed an accident on trunk power lines outside Crimea. The outages affected Simferopol, Sevastopol, Alushta, Yevpatoria, Saki, Feodosia and other settlements.
Blackouts continued on November 4, Crimea.Realities reported: most of Simferopol was without power, and trolleybuses did not run for the first time in a long while. According to The Insider, water supplies were fully or partially cut in Alushta, Yevpatoria, Kerch, Saki and Sudak, and commuter train service was restricted. Trolleybuses stopped in Sevastopol and Simferopol, and trams in Yevpatoria.
Russia's Energy Ministry acknowledged that the cause was Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure, Meduza reported. Aksyonov's adviser Oleg Kryuchkov and Razvozhayev spoke of attacks on facilities outside Sevastopol.
On October 29, the peninsula's government ordered the purchase of diesel generators for schools, kindergartens, colleges and universities worth 375.25 million rubles by the end of the year. Stroytsentr LLC was named the sole supplier. Larisa Ishchenko, head of the comprehensive security department at Crimea's Education Ministry, said more than half of schools are equipped with generators.
Accounts of the cause differ: Russia's Energy Ministry attributes the blackout to Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure, while Crimeaenergo and Aksyonov's adviser Oleg Kryuchkov spoke of an accident on trunk power lines. Ukraine's Defense Forces have not yet reported any attacks on energy facilities, Crimea.Realities noted.