Ukraine Opens First Underground Kindergarten in Kharkiv Region

Ukraine’s first underground kindergarten, “Mobil,” has officially opened in the Pisochyn community of the Kharkiv region, the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine reported on September 8.

It allows up to 260 children to safely attend in-person preschool education even during air raid alerts.

The underground space is equipped with eight classrooms, a medical point, a dining room, restrooms, and showers. The shelter operates autonomously using two independent power sources and backup generators.

Safe indoor passageways connect the protective structure directly to the main kindergarten buildings, ensuring children and staff can access the shelter without going outside. The facility was built with a focus on accessibility, incorporating elevators, lifts, and barrier-free routes for children with disabilities and other limited-mobility groups, according to the ministry.

“This year, the state for the first time provided separate funding for the arrangement of shelters in preschool educational institutions,” Anastasiia Konovalova, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine for Preschool Education, stated.

“Our task is to support communities with the highest security risks and help as many kindergartens as possible resume the educational process in an in-person format, because the opportunity to learn and develop in a safe educational environment is extremely important for every child,” she continued.

The project was co-financed by state, regional, and local budgets. In 2026, the Ukrainian government allocated its first dedicated subvention—totaling over 972 million UAH ($21.8 million)—specifically to construct and equip shelters in preschools.

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Similar projects are currently being implemented across nine regions, prioritizing high-risk frontline communities and facilities with ongoing construction. Local communities are carrying out the development with financial backing from the European Union under the Ukraine Facility instrument.

Beyond the physical danger of air raids, Ukrainian children also face deportation. Russian negotiators previously treated abducted Ukrainian children as prisoners of war, suggesting they be included in POW exchange lists rather than returned through humanitarian channels.

Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska stated that despite Ukraine presenting a verified list of 300 children, Russia continues to hold and subject thousands of Ukrainian minors to ideological indoctrination, severely hindering efforts to repatriate an estimated 20,000 illegally deported children.

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