Kyiv schoolchildren spend most of the day sheltering from frequent air raids

Air-raid warnings now punctuate the daily schedule at Kyiv’s UMKA primary school, where children abandon playgrounds and rush to an underground shelter each time the siren sounds. The school, serving 130 pupils, has adapted a former music-school basement into a multi-entrance shelter equipped with desks, corridors and a separate room with bunk beds for naps. On the day of the visit, five alerts rang between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., and lessons continued underground while teachers and director Valentyna Kurinna worked to keep panic at bay.

Parents are kept informed through emoji-filled messages and photos posted in group chats. The situation reflects a broader issue in Kyiv, where roughly 40% of schools possess adequate shelters, leading families to petition the education watchdog over poor conditions such as lack of water and toilets. Despite the challenges, children find moments of relief when the all-clear sounds, sprinting outside for brief breaks in the autumn sun.