Belgorod residents demand heating amid cold

Residents across Russia's Belgorod region are demanding authorities restore central heating as indoor temperatures in apartments, schools, and kindergartens have dropped to as low as 13°C (55°F). Complaints are coming from Belgorod city and multiple surrounding districts, with people forced to use electric heaters and fear unaffordable electricity bills. Authorities have stated it is impossible to turn the heating back on, leaving children and teachers sitting in outerwear in classrooms and kindergartens where heaters often trip circuit breakers. Residents warn that the prolonged cold, forecast to last another two weeks, is causing widespread illness.