Zaporizhzhia opens its first underground kindergarten for 115 children

Opening in a frontline city

Zaporizhzhia has opened its first underground kindergarten. Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi announced it on Telegram, Ukrinform reports. “Now 115 children will be able to learn, rest and eat throughout the day in a safe space,” he said.

A separate radiation shelter of more than 900 m² can hold 140 people and is accessible for children with special educational needs. According to the Zaporizhzhia regional administration, the shelter sits seven metres underground and can run autonomously for up to 48 hours. The kindergarten — named “Kashtan” — has ten groups and about 40 staff.

What changes for children

Previously, the regional administration says, children attended in limited shifts and alerts interrupted classes. With the underground space open, all 115 pupils can return to a full day of lessons, rest and meals.

RBC-Ukraine notes that the government and local authorities keep building safe education conditions, especially in frontline communities.

Ukraine’s second underground kindergarten

Ukrinform says the Zaporizhzhia facility is Ukraine’s second underground kindergarten after “Mobile” in Kharkiv Oblast’s Pisochyn community (260 children). On Saturday the site was visited by acting regional head Mykhailo Semikin, German ambassador Boris Ruge and regional defence council co-chair Ivan Fedorov.

Regional context

Zaporizhzhia Oblast has been expanding underground schools and shelters since the full-scale invasion. Underground kindergartens are meant to serve both as learning spaces and as shelters during attacks.

Why it matters

For frontline Zaporizhzhia, a full kindergarten day without constant interruptions is a practical answer to the air threat and a way to restore a normal educational rhythm for children.