The dilapidated gymnasium in the Solnechnaya Dolina district of Sudak has not served as a place for supervised children’s classes. A local report on a messaging channel cited an adviser to the head of Crimea, Oleg Kryuchkov, who is also a presidential adviser in the region.
He addressed a video message sent by local schoolchildren to President Vladimir Putin, who raised questions at a direct meeting and news briefing on December 14 regarding sport facilities and the needs of young athletes. The commentary underscored the children’s request for suitable sports conditions and access to safe, functional venues for physical activity.
Kryuchkov pointed out that the gym in question had been categorized as an emergency structure. In this context, he stressed that there were no organized sports activities for minors inside the building, which has raised concerns about how the facility is used and maintained.
According to the adviser, training occurred outside in milder weather and at the winter sports gym of a nearby school, where field hockey had previously been played. He argued that the responsibility for bringing children to an emergency facility lay with law enforcement and local authorities to address.
When outlining the events, Kryuchkov stated that no one should expect a pardon for failures in the system. The presidential adviser reiterated that local authorities had clearly fallen short in their duties, while warning against turning the emergency-building issue into a public-relations campaign.
Earlier, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation announced the launch of an inspection after schoolchildren appealed to President Putin about the gymnasium’s emergency situation in Solnechnaya Dolina. The investigation is being overseen by investigators from the regional branch of the supervisory authority.
Earlier still, a delegation of Crimean lawmakers assessed the conditions under which children’s sports activities were conducted, aiming to provide a clearer picture of facility readiness and safety. (Attribution: regional investigative authorities and parliamentary observers.)