(Reuters) – The mayor of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s eastern metropolis, announced plans to construct the country’s first fully underground school to protect students from bomb and missile attacks from Russia. Mayor Ihor Terekhov stated on the Telegram messaging app that this shelter would allow thousands of Kharkiv children to continue their education safely in person, even during times of missile threats.
Due to the ongoing war, many schools in the front-line regions have been forced to conduct online classes. However, Kharkiv has set up around 60 separate classrooms in its metro stations before the start of the school year on September 1, providing space for over 1,000 children to study there.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, had a population exceeding 1.4 million prior to Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Certain areas of the city are situated less than 35km (20 miles) away from the Russian border, making them vulnerable to frequent rocket and missile attacks by Russia. These attacks often strike before residents can reach shelters.
Oleh Sinehubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, reported that in the 24 hours leading up to Monday, a civilian man lost his life and several houses were damaged as a result of Russian shelling and rocket attacks.
The war has caused significant casualties and forced millions of civilians to flee their homes. Ukraine’s ministry of education has documented 363 educational institutions destroyed and nearly 3,800 damaged across the country.
The new school in Kharkiv will meet the modern regulatory requirements for protective structures, according to Mayor Terekhov. However, details such as its size and opening date have not been disclosed.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
