Ukraine to build first underground school in Kharkiv - official

Schoolchildren sit in a classroom set up at a metro station to avoid air attacks, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine September 4, 2023. REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy

(Reuters) - Ukraine's eastern metropolis of Kharkiv will build the country's first fully underground school to shield pupils from Russia's frequent bomb and missile attacks, the city's mayor said.

"Such a shelter will enable thousands of Kharkiv children to continue their safe face-to-face education even during missile threats," Mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.