Local authorities in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast have begun building 10 underground schools to protect children against Russian missile strikes, Ukrainian news site Euromaidan Press reports.
Parts of the oblast are close enough to the frontline that a Russian missile can strike within seconds of being launched, it said.
The head of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, Ivan Fedorov, said the project aims to accommodate nearly 45,000 pupils by the end of the year.
“We’re doing everything to create safe conditions for the educational process in Zaporizhzhia, despite the difficulties and challenges,” Fedorov told Ukrainian-language news outlet Suspilne.
Currently, six schools are under construction.
One of them, built on the premises of existing School No. 88, will be 7m underground.
Spanning an area of 1,500 sq m, it will accommodate 500 pupils when complete this autumn.
It will double up as a nuclear attack shelter.
“Our school is the only one in this particular neighbourhood,” said Lyudmyla Zlatova, the principal of School No. 88.
“There’s no alternative for children to attend, so they chose our school.”
Administration head Ivan Fedorov estimated the cost for an underground school to be around $2.7m, with 70% coming from the central government and 30% from local funds.
That cost includes construction and interior furnishings.
Ukraine’s first underground school was built in Kharkiv.
The country is also building underground maternity wards.
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