A criminal case has been opened against five initiators of the unauthorized blocking of the "Lutsk-Lviv" road in the village of Skobelka, Horokhiv district, Volyn, under Article 289, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The villagers resorted to this form of protest because their children are forced to study in dilapidated premises, and a new school has not been completed for 13 years, – reported the own correspondent of the Western Information Corporation. \n \nResidents of Horokhiv decided to block one of the central roads of the region based on a decision by a meeting of villagers from several villages whose children attend the Skobelka secondary school. Children here study in dilapidated premises which, according to old-timers, are about 170 years old. During the time of Polish rule, there was a stable here. \n \nA decade and a half ago, construction of spacious premises for a new school began in the village, but due to lack of funds, construction was halted. For 13 years now, the school has stood unfinished. \n \nAccording to experts' estimates, about 4 million hryvnias are needed to complete the new building "turnkey." To accommodate more than 200 schoolchildren who attend this school, it is sufficient to commission half of the premises. However, neither the Cabinet of Ministers nor the regional budget has allocated such funds. \n \nHaving lost hope that their children would celebrate a housewarming this year either, parents and teachers resorted to blocking the highway for almost an hour, trying to draw attention in at least this way. \n \nThis yielded a certain result. According to the head of the Horokhiv District State Administration, Yaroslav Dovhopolov, the head of the Volyn Regional State Administration, Volodymyr Bondar, personally took up the resolution of the issue, having sent relevant letters to the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance, and promised the villagers to personally meet with the Minister of Finance for a positive resolution of the issue. \n \nHowever, another consequence of the action also emerged. According to the Horokhiv District Department of Internal Affairs, a criminal case has been opened against five organizers of the protest action under Article 289, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (blocking transport communications). The article provides for a fine of 50 tax-exempt minimum incomes of citizens, or restriction of freedom for a term of up to 3 years. The case will likely go to court. \n