‘To the shelter, quickly!’ Air raids reshape Kyiv school life

When an air-raid siren sounds, Kyiv schoolchildren stop normal activities and move together into an underground shelter. Teachers lead them quickly, gather stragglers and check the playground before entering. The routine protects children from attacks that can damage buildings and send glass across classrooms.

At UMKA, all 130 pupils continued lessons underground within minutes. The shelter had four entrances, several rooms and corridors, desks, and a separate room with bunk beds. Children studied, listened to stories and comforted one another while teachers kept watch. Staff also sent parents messages and photos confirming that everyone was safe.

The process can happen repeatedly in one day. During AFP’s visit, alerts sounded five times between 7:30 am and 5:00 pm. After an all-clear, children briefly returned outside for fresh air and play, but the shelter routine had become part of daily school life.

An air-raid alert warns people that an attack from the air may be approaching or taking place. It tells them to leave exposed areas and seek protection. In the article, the warning is linked to Russia’s attacks on Kyiv, including drone strikes during both daytime and nighttime.

The danger was clear at UMKA school. A drone hit the playground only days before AFP visited, narrowly missing a grandfather. Security footage showed an explosion producing a huge fireball that burned the colourful playground. Other footage showed a classroom blast blowing out windows, knocking over chairs and sending glass shards across the room.

The alert therefore signals a risk to people, buildings and ordinary activities. Schools respond every time because children cannot safely judge whether a siren represents a direct threat. They move underground until the all-clear signal, even when the interruption lasts for hours.

Air-raid disruptions are frequent enough to shape the entire school day. At UMKA, alerts sounded five times during the period from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm. The article also says Moscow, which previously attacked Kyiv mainly at night, now strikes during the day as well.

The disruption is widespread but protection is uneven. Kyiv city hall told AFP that only 40 per cent of schools have shelters with enough capacity for all pupils. This means many schools cannot move every child into a suitable underground space when an alert sounds. Even schools with shelters may face poor conditions.

Parents have increasingly complained to the education watchdog as raids become longer and more frequent. Their concerns include shortages of drinking water and limited toilet access. The figures show both the repeated nature of the interruptions and the limited reach of adequate shelter provision across the capital.

Schools treat every alert as serious because children are concentrated in one place and cannot manage the danger independently. Teachers and directors are responsible for moving pupils quickly, keeping groups together and preventing anyone from being left outside. The goal is protection, not judging whether a particular warning will lead to a visible strike.

UMKA’s recent experience made that danger immediate. A drone slammed into the playground days before the visit, narrowly missing a grandfather who had stayed outside. The explosion burned the playground, while another blast blew out classroom windows and scattered glass. Those events explain why staff do not take chances.

The article contrasts this discipline with adults in Kyiv, many of whom sometimes ignore sirens after years of invasion. Schools cannot adopt that habit. They repeatedly move children underground, maintain lessons and reassure families until the all-clear makes a short return outdoors possible.

Shelter life changes education from a fixed classroom routine into repeated movement between underground lessons and short outdoor breaks. Children still study, but space, timing and attention are shaped by alerts. The school director said pupils spend more time in the shelter than in classrooms, showing how deeply attacks have altered ordinary schooling.

At UMKA, all 130 pupils carried on with classes underground. Younger children heard stories on a mat, while older pupils studied English and talked with friends. Yasya, Varvara and two girls named Anya shared memories, hugged when frightened and comforted one another with words. After two hours below ground, the all-clear brought a joyful 15-minute break in the autumn sun.

These routines help preserve learning and emotional support, but they also make childhood unpredictable. Teachers must hide their own fear and reassure pupils. Friendships, humor and play become tools for coping, while repeated alerts turn daily education into an exhausting cycle of sheltering and resuming lessons.

Shelter quality depends on space and money. UMKA is a private school with access to private funding and an underground area that could be redesigned after the war began. Many schools do not have the same combination of usable space and financial resources, so their shelters may be too small or poorly equipped.

UMKA’s former music-school space became a shelter with four entrances, several rooms and corridors, desks for all pupils, and bunk beds for naps. This layout lets children move downstairs smoothly and continue schoolwork. By contrast, parents elsewhere reported inadequate conditions, including a lack of drinking water and access to toilets.

The difference matters because alerts are longer and more frequent. Kyiv city hall said only 40 per cent of schools have shelters large enough for every pupil. Unless more schools gain sufficient space and basic facilities, many children will face less comfortable and potentially less practical shelter arrangements during repeated attacks.

Air attacks threaten both people and buildings because explosions can create fire, pressure and flying debris. At a school, that means an ordinary playground or classroom can become dangerous within seconds. The article shows that attacks do not only damage military targets; they can disrupt children’s lessons and destroy familiar spaces.

A drone hit UMKA’s playground and produced a huge fireball that burned its multicoloured equipment. In another video, a blast blew out classroom windows, knocked over chairs and sent shards of glass across the room. The grandfather outside escaped only seconds before the explosion. These examples show why exposed areas are especially risky during an alert.

Underground shelters reduce danger by moving children away from the surface, where blasts, fire and broken windows can directly reach them. UMKA’s shelter also keeps pupils together and lets classes continue. It cannot remove the threat, but it provides a more protected place until the all-clear signal.