Rebuilding Ukraine: Lithuania plans to construct six underground schools in Ukraine by year’s end

Lithuania intends to construct six underground schools by the end of this year in the regions of Mykolaiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Chernihiv, and possibly Kharkiv.

Arturas Zharnovskis, the head of the Lithuanian Co-create Future of Ukraine program, said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

What is the problem?

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has been shelling the regions of the country bordering the Russian Federation with various types of weapons, including the S-300 air defense system, and in recent months, also with mass-guided air missiles.

As a result, children cannot thoroughly study in educational institutions.

What is the solution?

Therefore, by the end of this year, Lithuania plans to build six underground schools in the Mykolaiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions and, probably, in the Kharkiv regions.

Zharnovskis also emphasized the importance of such projects because due to full-scale Russian aggression and the coronavirus pandemic, in some Ukrainian regions, "there are fourth-graders who have not physically been to school at all," which is essential for children's socialization.

How does it work?

Zharnovskis spoke about the work on a large project in the Mykolaiv region and other regions close to the front and constantly under fire.

"There will be safe school-shelters there for wartime. In peacetime, the shelters can be used as multifunctional facilities – sports, entertainment, etc.," Zharnovskis said.

He clarified that it pertains to specific locations in six regions, which include:

• Mykolaiv region,
• Odesa region,
• Zaporizhzhia region,
• Sumy region,
• Chernihiv region.

The location of the sixth object is still being determined. Most likely, it will be the Kharkiv region.

"In the named regions, we are starting to build large bomb shelter schools. And this is construction "from scratch" in places where, unfortunately, there were no shelters before. Among other things, the security conditions in such underground facilities will include anti-radiation protection," said the head of the Lithuanian Co-create Future of Ukraine program.

He admitted that it will be possible to finish this construction already this year.

For reference:

It should be noted that the first underground school in Ukraine is currently being built in Kharkiv and is scheduled to open in the spring. The local government also plans to open another similar educational institution in one of the city's central districts.

Also, by September 1 of this year, two underground schools are planned to be built in Zaporizhzhia so that the city's children can get a better education in war conditions.