Kyiv schools adapt to frequent Russian air raid alerts

In the Kyiv region, schools have integrated air raid drills into their daily routines as Russian attacks increasingly occur during daylight hours. At the UMKA primary school in the suburbs of Kyiv, students and staff follow established protocols, moving to underground shelters whenever sirens sound.

During a recent school day, air raid alerts were triggered five times between 7:30 am and 5:00 pm, forcing 130 children to continue their lessons in underground facilities. While some residents in the capital have become desensitized to the sirens, school administrations maintain strict adherence to safety measures.

The necessity of these drills follows recent strikes on local infrastructure, including a drone strike on a school playground that caused significant damage and blew out classroom windows. The shift in Russian tactics from primarily nighttime strikes to daytime attacks has made the constant movement to shelters an exhausting part of the educational experience.