Overview:

It was revealed that a school in Ukraine has been teaching students underground. The Russian invasion of Ukraine affected many aspects of the latter’s way of living. One of these things is education.

Russia attacked Ukraine more than three years ago. The issue has lingered since then. The Russian invasion destroyed much of Ukraine’s infrastructure and resulted in lives lost. Additionally, it messed up the global supply system for food and oil.

Ukraine’s public health suffered as a result of the Russian invasion. It’s important to remember that this also occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There’s another aspect of Ukraine that has been greatly affected. This was something that affected Ukraine and most of the world before the Russian invasion occurred. I’m referring to aspects of education.

Underground School

Bobryk is a village in the northern Sumy region of Ukraine. A school in Bobryk educates students underground. An article released by AP News on September 1st, 2025, by Hanna Arhirova titled “Ukraine’s children start new school year in underground classrooms to avoid Russian bombs” said that “the school was moved underground two years ago when air raid alerts sometimes stretched to 20 hours, paralyzing classes.”

The principal of the school is Oleksii Korenivskyi. “We must do everything so this generation is not lost,” she said. “Time is the only thing you cannot give up. This is our future, and we must give it everything we have.”

The news about this school in Bobryk raises some questions. The first is “What are the difficulties that Ukraine’s teachers and educational system have faced since the Russian invasion?” The second would be “How has the Russian invasion affected students in Ukraine?”

Effects on Ukraine’s Educational System

Continued Online Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way students learned worldwide. Teachers and instructors taught students via a virtual platform. Ukraine was also affected by COVID. They resorted to remote learning during this time as well.

As mentioned, the Russian invasion of Ukraine happened during the COVID pandemic. That meant that some schools in Ukraine would continue virtual instruction. However, some schools near the front line of the invasion took the classroom to the basement. This was for safety concerns. Bobryk is not far from the front line.

Some students in Ukraine have learned virtually for over five years now. Others attended classes remotely for two years. Then, they were moved to a basement. One might wonder how this might affect the learning process as a whole.

Unstable Internet Connections for Online Classes

The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24th, 2022. As you can imagine, it resulted in power outages across the country. Power outages disrupt online classes.

An article written by Oleksii Oleksandrovich Khaniukov, Oleksandra V. Smolianova, and Olena Shchukina titled “Distance learning during the war in Ukraine: experience of Internal Medicine department (organization and challenges)”, published in Art of Medicine in September 2022, discussed how unstable connections greatly affected remote learning.

Students would begin online tests with a time limit. However, sometimes the internet would falter. Khaniukov, Smolianova, and Shchukina said, “The issue was resolved individually, most often – one more attempt to pass the test was given to the student.”

Teaching Students in Different Time Zones

The Russian invasion of Ukraine displaced many people. Additionally, higher-education institutions in Ukraine have international students. That means that not everyone participating in distance learning via Ukrainian schools is in the same time zone. This creates problems accommodating people. Khaniukov, Smolianova, and Shchukina said that this warranted “significant work to adapt to the hours of the online part of distance learning.”

Structure and Workload

In addition to distance learning, teachers faced other challenges. A study conducted by Mariana Velykodna, Natalia Mishaka, Zoia Miroshnyk, and Vladyslav Deputatov titled “Primary Education in Wartime: How the Russian Invasion Affected Ukrainian Teachers and the Educational Process in Kryvyi Rih,” published in Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala in March 2023, shows some interesting findings. Velykodna, Mishaka, Miroshnyk, and Deputatov said that there were a lot of changes to teachers’ modus operandi: “namely shifts in schedules, the amount and distribution of workload, conducting classes remotely, tutoring certain students, providing crisis interventions with a broad range of people, and volunteering.”

Impacts on Students

Being exposed to war can be traumatizing. Obviously, not everyone is the same. Not everyone will react to something the same way.

When it comes to learning, being able to remember things well is important. Having a good memory enables a student to recall facts for a test. Additionally, it helps with recalling rules regarding paper format for assignments. Depression can negatively affect one’s memory.

Mental Health during war

A study by Ryunosuke Goto, Irina Pinchuk, Oleksiy Kolodezhny, Nataliia Pimenova, Yukiko Kano, and Norbert Skokauskas, titled “Mental Health of Adolescents Exposed to the War in Ukraine,” published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2024, has some interesting insights. Findings from the study revealed that exposure to war can result in varying levels of depression and anxiety.

A study by Ayu Aprilia and Dyah Aminatun titled “Investigating Memory Loss: How Depression Affects Students’ Memory Endurance,” published in the Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning (JELTL) in June 2022, discusses the possible effects of depression on one’s memory. Aprilia and Aminatun reveal that “High levels of depression can affect memory performance, decrease memory, and interfere with concentration.” This, therefore, can affect one’s ability to learn.

What Does the Future Hold for Education in Parts of Ukraine?

The news that Bobryk has been having classes underground caught people’s attention yesterday. They started doing this in 2023. It is understandable why they did it. However, it raises questions about how students will learn in this environment. The basement that they are in isn’t meant to be a classroom. It remains to be seen how this will impact their overall learning.

As for other schools in Ukraine, they may not be teaching in a basement. However, they are likely still remote. Hopefully, Ukraine can receive enough resources. This is to ensure that their schools stay supported. Obtaining an education is important, whether it’s in a traditional classroom or online.