Kyiv schools adapt to frequent air raids
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In Kyiv, Ukraine, students at UMKA primary school now routinely take shelter during air raid alerts, abandoning their classes to go underground.
Russia’s ongoing invasion has changed daily life for the capital’s children, with air raid sirens sounding throughout the day, not just at night. On a recent visit by AFP, the school experienced five alerts between 7:30 am and 5:00 pm, prompting 130 students to move to an underground shelter to continue their lessons.
The school’s director, Valentyna Kurinna, emphasized the need to reassure the children and maintain a calm atmosphere, while teachers kept parents updated through group chats. UMKA school is better equipped than most, having transformed a space originally intended for a music school into a comfortable shelter with multiple entrances and enough desks for all students. However, not all Kyiv schools are so prepared.
City hall reported that only 40 percent of schools have shelters large enough for all students, and many lack basic necessities like drinking water and toilets. Despite the disruptions, students find ways to cope, supporting each other and sharing memories during frightening moments, and eagerly returning to play outside when the all-clear sounds.
