Ukraine’s first “green school,” which opened in 2016 with support from Finland, was destroyed by Russian shelling in Kherson Oblast, Kherson City Military Administration head Roman Mrochko said.
According to Mrochko, Russian forces attacked the unique school in Antonivka, near Kherson, twice on 16 August.
“Video footage shows damage to the second floor after the first attack. The school burned down completely following the second strike,” Mrochko said.
The Russian occupying forces reportedly filmed the school’s destruction, claiming it housed a drone launch site. However, local authorities reported that it was a civilian educational facility.
The Kherson City Council website describes the school as the first in Ukraine and the only one in the Kherson Oblast. Built on the premises of Secondary School No. 21 in Antonivka, the project received 2.4 million euros ($ 2,7 mn) from the Finnish government for the modular frame construction.
According to the official website, the city authorities laid the foundation, connected necessary utilities, and purchased furniture, which cost 3.5 million hryvnias.
The school featured energy-saving technologies, including an air purification system installed on the ceiling and solar panels on the roof for heating. According to a local TV channel Kherson Plus report, the water was potable directly from the tap.
Russian forces have been launching attacks against Kherson Oblast every day. Over the past day, Russian troops attacked 16 settlements in the oblast and the city of Kherson.
The attacks damaged a gas pipeline, outbuildings, a bus, private vehicles, and agricultural machinery. Some three people were injured due to the attack.
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