Thousands of children study underground in Kharkiv, Ukraine

A class in one of Kharkiv’s subway schools / File: Al Jazeera

According to Al Jazeera, around 20,000 students in the city are currently studying in eight metro schools, along with 10 additional educational facilities located in basements and bunkers. Due to security concerns, all traditional schools across the region have been closed.

One of these schools operates inside the Oleksandr Maselski metro station in the southeastern part of the city. Once an unused passageway, the space has been transformed into a functioning school that now serves approximately 2,000 schoolchildren and preschoolers. Classes are held in shifts across four narrow classrooms.

“We don’t have to think about the war here. It’s a safe place, and we can focus only on teaching,” said Maksym Trystapshon, the school’s principal and an English teacher.

Since the start of the full-scale war in 2022, more than 100 children and around 3,000 civilians have been killed in the Kharkiv region as a result of artillery, missile, and drone attacks. Air raid sirens sound several times a day in the city. Recently, a new threat has emerged in the form of fiber-optic drones that are resistant to electronic interference.

The attacks continue. In recent days, a missile strike on a residential building killed two children, aged nine and 13, along with nine adults. In August 2025, a drone attack killed an 18-month-old toddler, a 16-year-old teenager, and five adults. To reduce risks, children are transported directly to school by bus and are not allowed to wait at bus stops.

Inside the underground classrooms, fluorescent lights replace natural daylight. Children not only study there but also socialize and spend time together. They are provided with daily food supplies.

Although some parents were initially hesitant, interest in underground schools has grown significantly. According to Daria Kariuk-Vinohradova, spokesperson for the city’s education department, there is now a waiting list of parents who want to enroll their children.

The war has caused severe damage to Ukraine’s education infrastructure. As of early 2026, more than 4,000 schools, kindergartens, and universities across the country have been damaged or destroyed. In Kharkiv alone, 134 out of 184 schools have been affected, and many will need to be rebuilt from scratch.

At the same time, schools play an important role in preserving the Ukrainian language. Although Russian is still widely spoken in the city, lessons are mainly conducted in Ukrainian. The curriculum has also been expanded to include a subject called “Defense of Ukraine,” which teaches first aid and survival skills. Despite all the challenges, underground schools provide children not only with safety but also with a sense of normal life amid war.