An ice skating rink in the central square of Vladivostok, Russia, on December 31, 2023. Sputnik photo
Kiev launched a series of rockets targeting the city center of Belgorod on Saturday, killing 24 people, including four children, and injuring 108.
Yury Grishin, mayor of the city of Magadan in the Russian Far East region, said in a post on Telegram as he announced the cancellation of public celebrations. He also urged people to limit fireworks.
The mayor of the Far Eastern city of Blagoveshchensk, which borders China, also made a similar statement. “We have decided to cancel the holiday fireworks show planned for the evening,” Oleg Imameev said, explaining that it would be “inappropriate.” He added that there will be time to celebrate in the future and urged everyone to celebrate the new year with family and loved ones.
Vladivostok Mayor Konstantin Shestakov said on social media that his city joined the rest of the country in mourning when he canceled the local fireworks show.
However, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Mayor Konstantin Bryzgin said that it would be wrong to “be led by the nose by terrorists” and deprive children of their vacation. However, he canceled the New Year’s fireworks display in the city, but said the rest of the celebration would go on as planned.
The city of Kolomna in the Moscow region canceled all New Year’s festivities. Veliky Ustyug authorities have also suspended holiday events in the city center.
Roman Satrovoyt, governor of the Kursk region, which borders the Belgorod region, said that lighting in all public offices and government buildings would be turned off in solidarity with the victims of the attack in Belgorod. He also called on people to support those affected by the attack through the Belgorod fund to support the families of Russian soldiers.
The governor noted that a terrorism warning remains in place in the region, which also borders Ukraine, adding that the use of any fireworks is currently prohibited. He urged people to stay home and spend time with their loved ones, and to “exercise restraint” as people in nearby areas face “terrible grief”. He expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and said: “Belgorod! We are with you!”.