Bobrick, Ukraine (AP) – Students did Return to school hoping that on Monday, Ukraine will be able to study safely under that shadow on Monday for the start of the new academic year. Russian invasion.
Since the start of the war, in February 2022, the school found a variety of ways Continue the lesson for the students.
In Boblik, a village in the northern Sammy region – not far from the front line – one school moved The classroom will be completely inside the basement Therefore, students whose education had already been affected due to the COVID closure were able to learn firsthand.
“We have to do everything so that this generation is not lost,” said the principal, korenivskyi. “Time is the only thing you can’t make up for. This is our future and we have to give it everything we have.”
The school moved underground two years ago. The aeroid alerts sometimes extend to 20 hours and are paralyzed. The only option was to cover and continue studying while hiding from the possibility of an explosion.
The mother will walk with her daughter to the basement of a city building on the first day of the school, held at Bobrick’s school in Smee region, Ukraine, on Monday, September 1, 2025. (AP photo/evgeniy maloletka)
Currently, the basement of the management building was never intended to be a school. Classes lined up in small spaces, with some divided into only heavy plastic sheets. There are no windows or doors. During the lesson, the child’s voice blends into the chorus.
On Monday, many arrived at Vishvanka, a traditional embroidered shirt. The teacher’s desk was packed with fresh flowers that the kids brought for them as traditional gifts earlier this year.
“Unfortunately, this ‘neighbor’ won’t go anywhere,” Olexi said, referring to Russia, explaining how much they have to do to make it happen and that it is worth it.
The once damp, dark basement has been renovated with ventilation, electricity and new flooring.
This is just one example of how Ukrainians adapt to keep their lives moving without putting an end to Russia’s crushing attacks.
Bobrick, with a population of about 2,000, has a small school with classes of about 10 children each. This year, only seven people were sitting in the first year room.
During the first lesson, the teacher opened the textbook on a map of Ukraine. It showed the whole country without markings of occupied territory. She turned north towards the Smee area where Bobrick lay.
“Our area is next to Russia,” she said. “That’s why it’s so difficult for them to bomb us so often, as we’re approaching this difficult neighbor.”
The school currently has over 100 students, but about 10% have left since the full-scale Russian invasion, and more have continued to leave. At this small school, each person feels a loss.
Among those preparing to leave is 15-year-old Vlada Mykhailyk. He soon moves to Austria with his 11-year-old brother. Their mother decided that the conditions were too dangerous.
“We live well, but sometimes it’s sad. We hear the shahed (drone) and the explosions a lot,” Vlada said. Underground learning has become a routine, she added. “If you need to choose between online or a basement, a basement is better.”
She is reluctant to leave town and admits she would rather leave school with her friends.
In one of the junior classrooms, the war was not the first topic of day one. When the teacher asked the students what they did in the summer, the response was refreshingly normal. It’s time to ride a bike, help your parents, and have new friends. A small voice from the third graders then added. “The Sharp drone was intercepted on top of us, and there were fragments.”
“This is all for war,” the teacher replied gently.
Students at the school heard the teacher during a lesson in the basement of a city building on Monday, September 1, 2025, on the first day of the school in Bobrick, Smee region, Ukraine. (AP photo/evgeniy maloletka)
The basement is small so the school runs in two shifts, with shorter breaks. The original school building – a beautiful building from the early 20th century – is now open and spacious classrooms waiting for students to return when security situations improve.
Seven-year-old Eva Tuy has begun her third year in her basement classroom. She remembers her previous classroom, just 400 meters away. This was warm in the winter and was a Kojie.
“We’re here because it’s wartime and there are a lot of sirens,” Eva said.
Eva said her wish this year is simple: “Back to the classroom. It feels like home.”
Her big dream: “To end the war.”
The school boy listens to the teacher during lessons in the basement of a city building on Monday, September 1, 2025, on the first day of Bobrick’s school in the Sammy region of Ukraine, in the basement of a city building. The Bobrick School was forced to move to the basement due to an endless alarm. (AP photo/evgeniy maloletka)
