2LT International News

KHARKIV, Ukraine: For thousands of children in Kharkiv, the first day of school meant not just new books and teachers, but a descent underground.

With Russian strikes still threatening Ukraine’s second-largest city, around 17,000 children began the academic year in specially built subterranean schools. Seven such facilities are already in use, with more planned in the coming months.

“Today, my child, a first grader, came to school for the first time, an underground school, the nearest school to Northern Saltivka,” said Anastasia Pochergina, a parent in a neighborhood often hit by attacks. “The school is three floors down, and we were told it is the deepest school in Kharkiv. That’s why I believe it is safe.”

Pochergina admitted she had not expected in-person classes to resume so soon. “We did not expect it would be possible this year, but as a parent, I was desperate for my child to be able to attend normal school,” she said.

The first day of school in Ukraine traditionally includes flowers and gifts for teachers. Even in the underground classrooms, children arrive with smiles and handshakes, guided quickly down stairwells by teachers.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said three more underground schools would open in the new year, while six metro stations had already been converted into classrooms. “It is big, there are 1,500 students here,” he said at one site in Nova Saltivka. “The depth is significant for the school.”

For 6-year-old Maria Yampolska, the day marked more than a return to lessons. “I never went [to kindergarten] because of the war,” she said, proudly holding up her artwork after class.