The city of Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine’s south is finalizing construction of its third underground school, designed to accommodate 1,000 students in two shifts, according to Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration.

Due to Russian missile attacks, children in the frontline areas can’t study in ordinary schools. The construction of underground schools will help maintain educational services while ensuring the safety of students.

Fedorov shared a video showing the current state of construction, revealing that workers are in the final stages of setting up the educational spaces within the facility.

This development is part of a larger initiative in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, which began construction of 11 underground schools last year. The first such facility opened on 16 December in Zaporizhzhia city, with the second one following shortly after.

These underground schools represent an adaptation to the ongoing war, providing safe educational spaces for students to continue their studies despite the security situation in the region. Before the underground schools opened, students mostly had to study online. Earlier, similar schools started operating in Kharkiv, a city located also nearly 30 kilometers from the frontline.

Related:

• ISW: The Kremlin maintains demands of Ukrainian capitulation, which makes any negotiations impossible
• Poland drafts evacuation plans amid rising security concerns
• 2-year-olds among injured as Russia strikes residential building in Sumy Oblast
• Moldova’s Russian-controlled Transnistria return to wooden rural stoves amid Russian gas cutoff