Solutions from Ukraine: 15 more underground schools and shelters open in Ukraine for over 5,000 students
The new and upgraded protective structures can accommodate 4,980 people. They are located in communities in the following regions:
Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions.
A significant share of these facilities is located in communities with high and very high security risk levels. In total, 5,282 students study at the general secondary education institutions where new or upgraded shelters have opened.
The Ministry of Education and Science also recalled that in 2026, the state budget allocates 5 billion hryvnias in subventions to equip shelters at general secondary education institutions. The funds go toward the construction, reconstruction, and major repair of protective structures, including the completion of projects launched in previous years.
According to the ministry, this year, state funding covers 113 shelters in 22 regions of Ukraine. Communities with high and very high security risk levels receive priority.
Overall, from 2023 to 2026, the state budget has already allocated almost 20 billion hryvnias to local budgets for equipping shelters at educational institutions. These funds enable communities to build new protective structures, reconstruct existing ones, and create conditions for children to return to in-person learning.
Territorial communities carry out shelter repairs and construction. This also supports their contribution to financing the general fund of the State Budget of Ukraine under the World Bank-supported program "Lifting Education Access and Resilience in Times of Need in Ukraine" (LEARN).
Protective structures are also being equipped with financial support from the European Union under the Ukraine Facility.
In total, more than 100 underground schools are already operating in Ukraine, fully supporting the educational process.
Background
As reported, the government allocated 1 billion hryvnias for the construction of shelters in kindergartens. The subvention can be used for the new construction of civil protection shelters and dual-purpose structures, as well as for the reconstruction and major repair of existing facilities, including those that belong to the civil protection shelter stock and can later be used as shelters.
In addition, Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi instructed officials to urgently inspect civil protection shelters to ensure they are properly maintained and that citizens have unobstructed access to them.
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- September, 04
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News by day
5 of September 2026
