The Yekaterinburg mayor's office denied reports of a riot at the lyceum.

      The Yekaterinburg mayor’s office said that Lyceum No. 173 is operating normally and that students attended classes dressed in business attire. Thus, the department of education denied reports of a student protest that parents had earlier told EAN about.

      Earlier, parents claimed that some lyceum students wore casual clothes as a sign of disagreement with the decision of director Ilya Smirnov, who removed deputy head Polina Zoloeva from her post.

      “According to class teachers, students calmly received Polina Viktorovna Zoloeva’s message on Telegram about ceasing to work in a combined-post capacity. At present she continues to teach, while the duties of deputy director and academic deputy remain assigned to her until December 1, 2025. This decision was made due to improper performance of official duties,” the department of education said in an official response.

      The agency also confirmed that the Telegram channel run by Zoloeva, where she announced her resignation, was deleted.

      “It should be noted that the Telegram channel ‘Voice of Lyceum No. 173’ is not an official platform of MAOU ‘Lyceum No. 173’. Its administrator was Polina Viktorovna Zoloeva, and the information published there was not coordinated with the lyceum’s administration. In this regard, a complaint has been filed with Roskomnadzor regarding the dissemination of confidential information and students’ personal data,” the department clarified.

      Officials also refuted parents’ claims that the former lyceum director, Svetlana Kunitskaya, left her post after a tragic incident involving one of the students.

      “Svetlana Vladimirovna Kunitskaya resigned from the post of director of her own accord and did not submit documents for re-certification. She now continues to work at the lyceum as a biology and geography teacher,” the department noted.

      Recall that Ilya Smirnov took over Lyceum No. 173 in March this year. Prior to that he had led School No. 22 in Uralmash, where conflict situations with teachers also arose. Parents expressed concerns that his arrival could lead to personnel reshuffles. On November 7 it became known that deputy head Polina Zoloeva was removed from her post and reassigned as a teacher, which provoked discontent among some students.