00:00 It's the first day of school for these kids.
00:05 They're third graders already, but have never sat in an actual classroom.
00:10 First, because of COVID, and then because of the war.
00:18 They're now able to study together, six meters below ground, protected by reinforced concrete,
00:26 in the first permanent underground school in Ukraine.
00:32 A bit unusual at first, but for kids like nine-year-old Sasha, it feels safe from the
00:38 bombs he's heard while studying at home.
00:43 When it was very loud, I would either run into the corridor, or hide underneath the
00:49 table, near the wall, away from the window.
01:00 In general, public schools in Kharkiv do not operate in person.
01:04 Even today, there are students who are participating online.
01:12 Parents like Sasha's father worry about what this does to their children.
01:17 The war greatly affected the development of children.
01:21 The war had a great impact on education.
01:23 There must be a society for children, and the children have dreamed of meeting their
01:29 classmates.
01:35 Down here, the war remains on everyone's mind.
01:41 The anthem plays, only to be followed by an air raid siren.
01:56 The anxiety is constant, it's always there.
02:00 And as you see, constant air sirens.
02:02 We're under stress, but we try to hold on.
02:05 Of course, this is our choice.
02:07 We're staying in Kharkiv.
02:09 We have not gone abroad.
02:11 This is our native home, our native school.
02:16 This underground facility is shared by multiple schools of the district.
02:21 Classes have to take turns.
02:23 The city of Kharkiv is planning to build more such schools.
02:28 For now, the kids can attend only once a week.
02:33 Come together, they embrace with delight.
02:39 Above ground, there is a semblance of normality today in Kharkiv.
02:45 But many who lived here before the war have fled.
02:49 Those who remain are trying to live their lives.
02:58 With the Russians close by, you don't have to look far to see the ugly side of Kharkiv.
03:05 In a residential neighborhood, a glide bomb went down between houses.
03:14 Homes were destroyed, a family of five injured.
03:21 Two of them, teenagers, were in the garden and inside the house.
03:30 A bomb like this released by a plane needs about five minutes to hit the city.
03:35 Kharkiv has little to no protection against these weapons.
03:41 This war crime investigator tells us there have been 200 such attacks in the last six
03:46 months.
03:47 More than one million civilians live in Kharkiv, and they suffer from attacks every day.
03:58 No one is safe from such strikes.
04:01 You can see that the time from the launch of the bombs to their arrival is very short,
04:08 and people do not have time to go to the shelter during the alarm.
04:20 Kharkiv matters to Ukraine.
04:22 It's history, culture, universities and industry.
04:26 But most importantly, it's home to those who live here, willing themselves to find ways
04:33 to deal with the daily Russian terror.
04:35 I'm filming you!
