Zillar Barta Desk ,Ukraine :Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sharply condemned Russia after a wave of drone and missile strikes hit Kyiv and surrounding areas on the first day of Ukraine’s new school year.
The attacks came as millions of Ukrainian children returned to classrooms amid the ongoing war. Zelenskyy visited a school in the Kyiv region that had been destroyed by Russian forces in 2022 and later rebuilt. During his visit, an air-raid alert forced students and teachers to continue their first lessons in a shelter.
Zelenskyy accused Russian forces of deliberately disrupting the start of the academic year and said that Russia was making children participants in the war. In a particularly angry remark, he described the Russians in highly derogatory terms while speaking to journalists during the attack.
The overnight bombardment was among the heaviest in recent days. Ukrainian authorities said at least 12 people were killed in Kyiv and the surrounding region, including railway workers, while others were injured. Residential buildings and critical infrastructure were also damaged.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched a large combination of missiles and drones. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted many of the incoming weapons, but several locations were hit, adding to the pressure on the country’s already stretched air-defense systems.
Despite the attacks, Ukrainian schools continued to open. The Ukrainian government says more than 8,000 schools are operating in person this academic year, while thousands more are using hybrid arrangements to keep children safe.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine would continue working to protect children and maintain education despite the war. He also urged international partners to respond more forcefully to Russia’s continuing attacks and provide stronger air-defense support.
The latest strikes underscore the continuing danger faced by civilians in Ukraine, where the beginning of another school year has once again been overshadowed by air-raid sirens and the threat of missile and drone attacks.
