Authorities to open underground schools in Zaporizhzhia Oblast by late October

Local authorities plan to open some of the six underground schools being built in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia and the surrounding region by late October, Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Ivan Fedorov said on Aug. 11.

"We expect that the first schools will receive their students at the end of October, this is our ambitious goal," Fedorov said on television. "And today, according to the schedule, we see that we can succeed in this plan."

Kharkiv was the first Ukrainian city where the concept of underground schools was introduced to ensure offline education despite regular Russian attacks. The first school was established in Kharkiv's metro.

Part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast is occupied by Russian troops, who are on the offensive to attempt a breakthrough in the country's southeast. Heavy fighting is raging on about 40 kilometers from Zaporizhzhia, and the city and its nearby areas often endure indiscriminate Russian attacks.

In May Fedorov announced that the local authorities would embark on a project to build five underground schools – three in Zaporizhzhia and two elsewhere in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Earlier, Fedorov announced that 24 schools in Zaporizhzhia would begin using a mixed online and offline education format starting April 1.

According to a February poll by the Ukrainian polling agency Vox Populi, 81% of students in front-line regions were studying online.

Deputy Education Minister Yevhen Kudriavets said in February that over 3,500 educational institutions had been damaged due to the Russian full-scale invasion. Nearly 400 of them were almost destroyed.