At school in Kyiv, it has become common to hear air raid sirens instead of the ringing of the school bell. Dozens of eight-year-olds descend into the basement, clutching pencils and books, determined to continue their lessons despite the threat above.
"It's the war that has made them mature," said Liudmyla Yaroslavtseva, head teacher at Kyiv's Art Lyceum "Zmina." She recalls how children used to panic when the sirens first began three years ago. Now, they sit quietly, focusing on their studies as if this underground classroom is the new normal. "We try to protect them, but we can't fully shield them from everything."
In Kharkiv, classrooms have been set up in metro stations for safety. Children paint, study, and try to maintain a sense of normalcy in these makeshift shelters. “It’s not normal,” one teacher remarks, “but we have to keep going.”
Art teacher Valentyna Maruniak has observed a transformation in her pupils’ drawings since 2022. "They used to paint mainly tanks, planes, bombings. Now, they draw rainbows, flowers, and the sun. They want victory, joy, spring, and calm."
When asked to depict the most memorable moments of the war, some children drew tanks and soldiers. Others painted memories of trips, peaceful times, or places they’ve lost. Eight-year-old Solomiia Karanda painted the landscape of a village where her grandmother once lived. “A missile struck a home close to my grandma’s, but now it is getting rebuilt,” she said.
When asked to depict the most memorable moments of the war, some children drew tanks and soldiers. Others painted memories of trips, peaceful times, or places they’ve lost. Eight-year-old Solomiia Karanda painted the landscape of a village where her grandmother once lived. “A missile struck a home close to my grandma’s, but now it is getting rebuilt,” she said.
Many children have developed routines to cope with the fear of missile attacks. Karanda describes curling up in bed with her toys to feel less scared. Her classmate, Nikita Bondarenko, has learned to hide behind thick walls with his younger sister, covering her with blankets for protection. "I tell her, 'Masha, missiles and bombs are flying.'"
The war has taken a significant toll on mental health. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science, over 50,000 children sought professional help with mental health issues in the first nine months of 2024—three times more than in 2023.
A survey conducted by Plan International found that nearly one in five Ukrainian youths have missed between one and two years of education due to the war. More than 3 million children have been displaced, and around 4.6 million face barriers to learning. Nearly a third of the country’s educational facilities have been damaged, with over 365 schools completely destroyed.
Despite the challenges, hope remains. “If you had a magic wand, what would you ask for?” Yaroslavtseva asked her students. “For peace to come quickly,” 90% of the children answered.
They no longer dream of toys or trivial wishes. Instead, they dream of a future where the ringing of the school bell will be louder than the sirens, and the fear of war will be replaced with the sounds of peace and childhood.
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In recent years, Abu Dhabi has emerged as a venue for high-stakes diplomacy, hosting sensitive talks on conflicts ranging from Ukraine-Russia to Armenia-Azerbaijan, as the United Arab Emirates positions itself as a neutral platform amid deepening global divisions.
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators began the second round of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday (4 February).
Ukraine and Russia carried out a rare exchange of 314 prisoners on Thursday as U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi closed with a pledge to resume negotiations soon, offering one of the clearest signs of diplomatic movement in months.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has deployed one of its largest ballistic missiles at a newly unveiled underground base on Wednesday (3 February), just two days ahead of mediated nuclear talks with the United States in Muscat, Oman.
Winter weather has brought air travel in the German capital to a complete halt, stranding thousands of passengers as severe icing conditions make runways and aircraft unsafe for operation and force authorities to shut down one of Europe’s key transport hubs.
Storm Leonardo has swept across the Iberian Peninsula, causing widespread flooding, landslides and transport disruption in Portugal and Spain, leaving at least one person dead and forcing thousands to evacuate as authorities issued urgent warnings.
Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes killed 24 Palestinians including seven children in Gaza on Wednesday (4 February), health officials said, the latest violence to undermine the nearly four-month-old ceasefire.
An attacker opened fire at the gates of a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Islamabad on Friday before detonating a suicide bomb that killed at least 31 people in the deadliest assault of its kind in the capital in more than ten years.
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators have discussed an ambitious goal of reaching a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine by March, though the timeline is widely viewed as unrealistic due to deep disagreements over territory, according to multiple sources familiar with the talks.
At least 31 killed, scores wounded in suicide attack on religious site in Islamabad.
Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal met with senior U.S. officials in Washington, D.C., this week to discuss strengthening military and security cooperation, regional developments and the challenges facing Lebanon, the Lebanese army said on Friday.
Storm Leonardo has swept across the Iberian Peninsula, causing widespread flooding, landslides and transport disruption in Portugal and Spain, leaving at least one person dead and forcing thousands to evacuate as authorities issued urgent warnings.
Escalating clashes in South Kivu’s highlands are sending a rising flow of wounded to Fizi’s small general hospital, where staff warn they are running out of space and supplies as the conflict expands across remote areas.
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