A boy stands near the site of a heavily damaged residential building following a Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine on Sept.1, 2026. (Vladyslav Musiienko / AFP via Getty Images)Thousands of Ukrainian children mark a milestone on Sept. 1 by stepping into a new world of classrooms and learning, with the "first bell" ceremony traditionally marking this transition.Yet this year, the "first bell" was forced underground as Russia pounded Kyiv with aerial attacks for the sixth consecutive day, as across the country, hundreds of thousands of pupils see their school life disrupted by Russia's full-scale war.Nataliia Maievska, the director of a secondary school with an emphasis on bilingual studies, Lyceum No. 257 "Syniozernyi," in Kyiv's northwestern neighborhood, said it was a very bittersweet day.
While glad that her school was able to hold the ceremony in some capacity, she feels for the seven-year-old first-graders whose experience was tainted by the event.Around 88 new students joined the lyceum's student body of around 1200."They will remember this. Because these are the moments that are remembered for a lifetime," said Maievska.Children walk to school during a celebration marking the start of the school year in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 1, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Ivan Antypenko / Suspilne Ukraine / JSC "UA:PBC" / Global Images Ukraine / Getty Images)Lessons amid the sound of sirensJust as the new students were settling into their classrooms, an air raid siren interrupted their first-ever lesson. Without panic, perhaps already used to the sound, the children took each other's hands and walked down to the underground shelter with their new class.The loud wail of air-raid sirens, sounding more than 10 times a day, leaves the city paralyzed for up to 14 hours on some days.Kyiv authorities announced on Aug. 31 that learning may need to start in a hybrid format to ensure maximum safety. Schools are told to prepare for all possible scenarios — from teaching in shelters to teaching completely remotely."It is impossible to provide full-fledged education for this school in the shelter today," said Maievska. While the school's shelter can accommodate all its students and staff, there is not enough space to fit hundreds of desks and boards to "imitate" a proper classroom atmosphere.
