Residents Report Freezing School After Pipes Burst Near Chelyabinsk

Residents of Malinovka village, which has repeatedly been left without electricity and heat during cold spells, have reported heating problems at the local school. During one of the recent outages, according to residents, an emergency situation arose there. Authorities explained whether repairs are needed.

«Currently, the temperature in classrooms is at most only 14-16 degrees Celsius (57-61°F), which creates unbearable conditions for our children»s education and health,« states an appeal to the authorities on VKontakte. »Yesterday during lessons, all the children froze, especially their hands and feet. According to information from a deputy of Malinovka village, a transformer broke down and will only be repaired in a week. Over the weekend, water froze in the school«s pipes and has still not been fully restored.»

The editorial board reached out to the regional government for comments. The Ministry of Education and Science of Chelyabinsk Oblast assured that they are aware of the problem. They explained that the temperature in the school dropped during the frost and power outage.

«At present, the school»s power supply is functioning properly, and no repairs are needed. The air temperature in Malinovka School is 20 degrees Celsius (68°F), which is within the established norm,« reported the Ministry of Education and Science.

The situation is under special control by the district administration.

Recall that Malinovka was left without electricity on January 15. During the abnormal frost, there was no heating or water in homes. Representatives of Rossety (the Russian Grids company) explained that the cause of the outage was damage to a 10 kV power line. The elimination of the accident was delayed due to high load and new damage to the networks; in Malinovka and Kremenkul, temporary accommodation and heating points were set up. And on the weekend after a new cold snap, the situation repeated.

In 2024, Malinovka was promised a new substation, but it was only about the start of design; when it will come to its construction is still unknown. However, even after the launch of the Kremenkul substation, residents of nearby settlements continue to complain about low voltage, interruptions, and outages — the network capacity cannot keep up with the growing load.