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Ukraine Feeds 3 Million Schoolchildren for Free Despite Russian Attacks and Blackouts
Ukraine is fighting to protect not only its territory, but also the future of a generation growing up under Russian attacks. In exclusive interviews with UNITED24 Media, Ukraine’s education minister and the UN World Food Programme’s country director explain how school nutrition reform is supporting families, transforming education, and restoring a sense of normalcy for children.
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Air raid sirens and power outages have become part of everyday school life in Ukraine, but even in frontline regions, children continue receiving hot meals. At School No. 7 in Romny, Sumy region, around 350 lunches are prepared daily, with meals served in shelters when air raid alerts interrupt classes.
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The school is one example of Ukraine’s nationwide effort to provide free, nutritious food to approximately three million children despite Russia’s ongoing invasion.
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science on September 21, the government expanded its free school meals program on September 1, 2026, to cover students in grades 1–11 (12) attending municipal schools in person or through blended learning.
The initiative is part of a broader school nutrition reform launched in 2020 at the initiative of Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska.
During a visit to Romny School No. 7, Ukrainian Minister of Education and Science Andrii Butenko and UN World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director Richard Ragan examined how the program operates in a region facing continued Russian attacks.
As attacks on schools continue, supporting children is more important than ever.
— WFP Ukraine (@WFPUkraine) October 10, 2026
This week, @WFP 🇺🇦 Country Director, @MON_UKRAINE Minister Andrii Butenko, School Nutrition Reform Team, & @FinlandinUA visited a school in #Sumy region, where 350 children receive hot meals daily. pic.twitter.com/V46T9zLg1y
The school has 738 enrolled students and operates through a combination of in-person and remote learning. With WFP support, its kitchen received five pieces of modern equipment, including a combi steam oven, electric stove, dishwasher, cooking boiler, and vegetable cutter.
A diesel generator was also provided to help the kitchen continue operating during electricity outages caused by Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Beyond free lunches—how Ukraine is changing school nutrition
Speaking exclusively to UNITED24 Media, Butenko explained that the reform goes far beyond simply providing children with free food.
“This is also support for families because the child will definitely be fed at school,” the minister said, pointing to the challenges parents face during frequent air raid alerts and power outages.
He emphasized that the initiative is also intended to change children’s eating habits by introducing healthier, more balanced meals.
“This reform involves changing eating habits. It won’t happen tomorrow, or even the day after,” Butenko told UNITED24 Media. According to the minister, recent surveys indicate that more than 80% of both parents and children are satisfied with the school meals program.
The reform has also introduced stricter nutritional standards, including reduced salt content and carefully balanced seasoning. For WFP, maintaining school meals during wartime is not only about nutrition but also about helping children continue their education.
“Having hot meals at school brings kids to school. It’s important to invest in their nutrition, so it enhances their ability to learn,” Ragan told UNITED24 Media. “It’s not easy to do a program like this, and you’re fighting a war at the same time,” he added.
Ragan said he was particularly impressed by the coordination between teachers, parents, kitchen staff, and school administrators, who continue working despite the constant threat of Russian attacks. He also praised the quality of the meals after personally trying the food prepared at the school. “It’s a lot better than the food I had when I was at school,” he said.
Feeding children on the frontlines as Russia’s war continues
The effort extends far beyond Romny. With WFP assistance, 298 Ukrainian school kitchen modernization projects have received support, including 100 in the Sumy region alone.
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For the 2026–2027 academic year, WFP plans to support approximately 200,000 children across 1,800 schools in eight frontline regions: Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
More than 1,000 school cooks have already begun training in preparing healthy, balanced meals and operating modern kitchen equipment, with another 220 expected to join practical training sessions in October.
The Ukrainian government has allocated nearly UAH 14.4 billion ($345 million) in 2026 for state subsidies to local budgets supporting free school meals. The program combines government funding, local resources, and international assistance to modernize kitchens and maintain food services.
However, significant challenges remain. Across the eight frontline regions, approximately 2,400 school kitchens still require modernization, while 388 educational institutions lack kitchen facilities altogether.
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The importance of protecting Ukrainian children extends far beyond education and nutrition. As of September 25, Russia’s full-scale invasion had killed 744 Ukrainian children, while another 2,363 remained missing, according to Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
Despite these difficulties, Ragan believes Ukraine’s determination to keep children learning and eating properly during wartime is an important investment in the country’s future.
“The fact that Ukraine is really focused on this during a time of war is fundamentally important,” he told UNITED24 Media.
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