Frontline Ukrainian village builds underground school bunker amid strikes

KHARKIV, Ukraine - In the frontline village of Stary Saltiv in northeastern Ukraine, 40 kilometers from Kharkiv and just 15 kilometers from the Russian border, residents live under constant bombardment. After five Russian-launched drones recently destroyed the local school an hour before students were due to arrive, authorities moved to build a large underground bunker to protect children and civilians.

The bunker spans 1,500 square meters and is being constructed by a Ukrainian company with government funding. It is designed to shelter more than 400 people.

“We are now five meters underground,” Andrey Dmitrenko, general manager of the company leading the project, told Rudaw. “Our ceiling is 80 centimeters of reinforced concrete topped with another 80 centimeters of soil. This ceiling must withstand S-300 missile strikes.”

Dmitrenko further noted that the bunker “has a ventilation system, fire extinguishing system, uninterrupted electricity supply in case of power outages, a water supply, and everything necessary for long-term and safe stay.”

Work on the shelter began in May and is expected to be completed by January 2026. It will include specially equipped classrooms for 200 students. A team of 45 workers, including five women, is working around the clock to finish the project.

Alina, one of the workers, said safety is the driving force behind the project.

“Since I also have children, every parent wants their children to be safe. The children will study here, and it will be calm and secure. The situation is terrifying now, especially with the recent frequent explosions, so the children will be protected here,” she said.

The village’s population has dropped significantly since the war escalated, with many residents leaving their homes only for essential needs.

“Previously, about 4,000 people lived in Staryi Saltiv, but now only 1,500,” said Gordienko Konstatin, deputy mayor of the military administration. “Electricity and water are available, but due to shelling or repair work, outages occur frequently.”

As for food, Konstatin said that “some shops are still open, and every month we receive food packages from a charitable organization to support residents.”

Across northern and eastern Ukraine, persistent attacks are pushing more communities to build bunkers where daily life - including schooling - increasingly takes place underground.

Nearly four years have passed since the Russia-Ukraine war began, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties. Now, with American mediation, efforts to end the conflict have intensified, but many remain hopeless.

Russia currently controls roughly 19.2 percent of Ukrainian territory.

In its talks with the United States about a potential framework to end the war, Moscow has consistently demanded full control over all areas of Ukraine it currently occupies.