'The teacher said there was a fire': in Kyiv, school life shaped by Russian strikes

In Kyiv, the new school year is unfolding under the constant threat of Russian air strikes, which continue to disrupt life at educational institutions across the Ukrainian capital.

According to city authorities, 334 schools and other educational establishments have been damaged in the city since the start of the Russian invasion. This toll reflects the scale of destruction inflicted on school infrastructure over months of war.

For students who continue to attend classes in person, despite the risks, daily school life is now punctuated by frequent alerts. Testimonies gathered from several schools describe scenes of panic when alarms sound, with teachers having to simultaneously reassure children and guide them to shelters as quickly as possible.

As Russian strikes have intensified in recent months, many schools have had to strengthen their security measures, increasing evacuation drills and adapting their facilities to allow faster access to underground shelters.

Ukrainian educational authorities continue to alternate, depending on the school and area, between in-person teaching and distance learning — an arrangement that remains contingent on the evolving security situation in the capital and the condition of still-usable school infrastructure.