More than 400 educational institutions in Ukraine have been completely destroyed as a result of massive attacks by the Russian Federation since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, and over 4,000 educational facilities have suffered varying degrees of damage. This information was reported by the Minister of Education and Science, Oksen Lisovyi.
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Significant Losses Among Universities and Schools
According to the ministry, higher education institutions have also been hit: 153 university buildings have been damaged, and three have been completely destroyed. The issue of restoration is particularly urgent in the city of Dnipro, where important universities, including the Dnipro National University named after Oles Honchar, Dnipro Polytechnic, and Karazin University in Kharkiv, require reconstruction.
“More than 400 institutions have been destroyed, over 4,000 institutions have been damaged, we have 153 university buildings damaged, and three university buildings have been completely destroyed. We currently have a huge queue for the restoration of very important and good universities in the city of Dnipro: both Honchar and Dnipro Polytechnic, and Karazin University in Kharkiv,” said Lisovyi.
The minister noted that roof and window damage is the most frequently recorded, but sometimes the destruction is critical and requires urgent emergency work. In such cases, regional military administrations, together with the State Emergency Service, respond promptly, while the ministry organizes the conservation of buildings and seeks funding for repairs.
Challenges with Funding and Consequences of Shelling
Particularly tragic is the case of a missile strike on the dormitory of the Dnipro National University named after Oles Honchar, resulting in the death of a student. The minister emphasized that such attacks are aimed at intimidating young people and trying to force them to leave the country.
The restoration of educational institutions is carried out from various sources: state and local budgets, donor assistance, and special university funds. However, funding is significantly limited. A half-billion hryvnias have been allocated for the restoration of universities, but this is insufficient, as the urgent need already reaches 1.2 billion hryvnias, while the total exceeds 3 billion. Some students are temporarily transferred to other buildings that have not been affected.
The Russian army continues to attack civilian infrastructure in all regions of Ukraine, using a wide range of weaponry: kamikaze drones, missiles, aerial bombs, and multiple rocket launch systems. The destruction and damage of educational institutions are part of a large-scale campaign of terror against the Ukrainian population.
The Ukrainian authorities, together with international organizations, classify such strikes as war crimes of the Russian Federation and emphasize their deliberate nature. Particularly dangerous are the shelling of life-support systems and social infrastructure facilities, which have signs of genocidal actions under international law.
The leadership of Russia denies the facts of targeted strikes on civilian objects in Ukraine, despite numerous evidence of the destruction of schools, hospitals, kindergartens, energy, and water supply networks.