Kyiv – As the new school year began, the Ukrainian Global School in the capital announced that all classes will be held in its underground shelter. The decision follows a surge of Russian air‑raid alerts that have left the city under near‑constant fire.
Classes move below ground
Parents received a letter from the school stating that, during an air‑raid alert, students will no longer need to evacuate to separate shelters. “The children are already where it’s safe, and school simply continues,” the letter read. The move is framed as a way to keep learning uninterrupted despite the danger.
Escalating attacks
According to a CNN tally, air‑raid alerts sounded 60 times in Kyiv between Thursday night and Tuesday noon, totaling about 47 hours. Local officials report at least 53 deaths and more than 100 injuries in the capital and surrounding region during that period.
Russian forces have intensified their aerial campaign, now using faster, jet‑powered drones that are difficult for Ukrainian defenses to intercept. The relentless strikes have forced many families to reconsider daily life in the city.
Impact on students and families
Many children entering school this year have never known a time of peace. Those in eighth grade are the youngest Ukrainians to have experienced uninterrupted schooling, while younger students have only known classes conducted under fire.
Kyiv authorities urged parents to teach children how to respond during alerts, treating the preparation as essential as packing a school bag.
Presidential visit
President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the school to mark the start of the academic year. Dressed in Sunday best, the children greeted him in the shelter after another air‑raid alarm sounded. “There is an air‑raid alert right now. Unfortunately, the Russians are despicable… even among enemies, there is usually an understanding that children are children,” Zelensky told reporters.
Displacement and enrollment decline
UNICEF estimates more than 1.8 million Ukrainian children now live abroad, with many more displaced within the country. The Ministry of Education reported that 243,398 first‑graders began school on Tuesday, far fewer than the 400,000 who started in 2021 before the war.
One mother, Nadiia Andrianova, described the toll on her family. After months of sleeping in the Kyiv Metro as a shelter, she decided to relocate her nine‑year‑old daughter Aiia to a school in western Ukraine, despite the child’s reluctance to leave her friends and piano lessons behind.
Looking ahead
As the conflict enters its fifth school year, Ukrainian educators and families continue to adapt, seeking ways to preserve education while protecting children from the ongoing threat of air strikes.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
