During the full-scale Russian invasion, the Ukrainian education network has suffered significant losses. According to the Ministry of Education and Science, as of October 13, 2025, 4,358 educational institutions, including 2,046 schools, had been destroyed or damaged in Ukraine. In March 2025, the World Bank estimated the total direct losses to Ukraine’s educational infrastructure at $13.4 billion.
The Suspilne investigative editorial office has collected photos, videos, and satellite images of destroyed schools in the occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Before the beginning of the full-scale invasion, some of them had been reconstructed and renovated, partly with the funds of European partners.
Vuhledar “Mriia”
Before the full-scale invasion, about 15,000 people lived in the town of Vuhledar in Donetsk region. The town had three schools, two kindergartens, and a college.
One of the most modernized facilities was the educational institution “Mriia”, which included a preschool, primary school and secondary school. Budget investments were directed to the “Mriia” educational institution until 2022. In 2017, a major renovation (premises, internal and external networks, landscaping) was launched with an estimate of about 19 million hryvnias. In 2018, the school was presented as renovated, and the Ministry of Education and Science positioned the institution as one that can accommodate up to 700 students.
In the spring of 2022, a Russian shell hit the school territory. The school stopped its work in September that year. By the time the city was finally occupied in 2024, the school had been completely ruined.
Bakhmut: schools renovated with EU funds
Bakhmut School 12 had over 300 students and 12 classes before the full-scale invasion. In 2017, there was a bidding procedure for its reconstruction. The Bakhmut city council reported that as of October 2021, 13 million hryvnias worth of work had been completed.
The renovation was funded by the European Investment Bank.
In 2022-2023, the city suffered extensive destruction. More than 4,000 residential buildings were damaged in Bakhmut during the hostilities. At least 17 schools in the city were destroyed or damaged. School 12 was among them.
School 18, named after activist Dmytro Cherniavskyi, who was killed by pro-Russian militants, could educate over 500 students and was considered one of the most modern in the city.
In 2021, the institution underwent reconstruction as part of the state program “Great Construction”. The cost of the project was 64.4 million hryvnias, and it was financed by the European Investment Bank.
The school building was destroyed during the hostilities in Bakhmut.
Avdiivka schools
In 2016-2021, School 2 in Avdiivka was reconstructed partly with funds from Lithuania. After opening on September 1, 2021, the institution had about 600 students.
The school received modern equipment, new classrooms, sports facilities and playgrounds. Lithuania allocated more than 700 thousand euros for the equipment, and according to CPVA, the total cost of the project in 2019-2021 was one million euros.
During the assault on the city in 2023-2024, Russian troops systematically attacked residential areas of Avdiivka. According to the Center for Information Resilience, 25 of the 26 high-rise buildings and all 17 educational institutions in the city were damaged or destroyed. Back in March 2023, the head of the city’s military administration, Vitalii Barabash, reported that more than 80% of the housing had been destroyed.
On February 25, 2023, a Russian airstrike destroyed the school. On February 17, 2024, the Ukrainian Armed Forces left the city to escape encirclement.
Avdiivka School 6 was an ordinary municipal institution before the full-scale invasion. In 2019, they were preparing to modernize the canteen with the estimate of 2.5 million hryvnias.
On the night of June 21, 2022, Russian troops hit the building with Grad rockets with magnesium charges. The school burned down and was completely ruined.
Mariupol schools
During the siege of Mariupol in the spring of 2022, more than 90% of the city’s housing was destroyed. The Suspilne investigative editorial office wrote about this earlier. Russian troops also damaged or destroyed 54 Mariupol schools.
School 66 was the first Ukrainian-language educational institution in Mariupol. As the Mariupol city council wrote, in 2018 the school underwent major repairs and purchased new equipment. The total investment amounted to about 75 million hryvnias.
The school stopped operation on the first day of the full-scale invasion, February 24, 2022. On March 10, the Russian army destroyed it with an aerial bomb.
School 40 was built in 1936 and survived World War II. According to the Mariupol city council, 550 children studied there before the full-scale invasion. A major renovation was planned for 2022 with about 1 million euros of EBRD funds. The school was to become a specialized one.
The school was destroyed by Russian shelling in 2022. Satellite images from 2024 show that the occupiers had cleared the area and dismantled the remains of the buildings.
School in Popasna
According to the Luhansk regional administration, more than 160 educational institutions in the region were destroyed or damaged, in particular in the town of Popasna.
The former head of the Luhansk administration, Serhii Haidai, stated that Popasna was almost completely ruined after the assault by Russian troops. The town was occupied in May 2022.
Before the full-scale invasion, Popasna School 21, where about 240 students studied, was promised to be modernized. The opening of a full-fledged sports facility was announced, and the district administration promised to renovate the gym and dining room.
During the fighting in 2022, the school suffered critical damage, and satellite images recorded the complete dismantling of the remains of the building.
Destroyed Belgian heritage in Lysychansk
Lysychansk multi-profile school (from 2023 – Lysychansk School 17) was a leading educational institution until 2022, belonging to the top 100 schools in Ukraine. The school was located in a historic building from the late 19th century, which was part of the Belgian Heritage ensemble in the city center. It had the official status of an architectural monument and was one of the key symbols of Lysychansk.
The building suffered minor damage in 2014 and was restored with the support of UNICEF. On May 1, 2022, a Russian shell hit one of the school buildings. In July 2022, the city was occupied by Russian troops.
The biggest educational facility in Siverskodonetsk
According to the former head of the Luhansk regional administration, Serhii Haidai, Siverskodonetsk was 90% destroyed during the hostilities in June 2022.
The “YUVENES” School was one of the city’s leading educational institutions. In 2022, it had about 900 students.
The school building was damaged during active hostilities in May-June 2022, but survived.
In October 2024, the occupation authorities destroyed the mural by artist Ian Ptushko on the facade of the school building, covering it with their own drawing.
School 5 was located in a densely populated residential area of the city. The institution had the status of a full secondary school and provided education for 600 students. In 2020, a large-scale modernization was carried out there: the facades were insulated, the windows were replaced, the roof was repaired, and the territory was landscaped.
The satellite images of Siverskodonetsk taken after active fighting in June 2022 show that the school’s roof completely burned down and the floors partly collapsed.
The school that became a shelter for civilians
The village of Bilohorivka in Luhansk region was one of the last settlements in the region to remain free for a long time. Russian troops occupied it in July 2025, after almost three years of fighting.
The Bilohorivka School was the only educational institution in the area. Before the full-scale invasion, it served not only as a school but also as a community center, hosting cultural events, gatherings, and celebrations.
On May 7, 2022, Russians hit the school building with a direct airstrike. At the time of the attack, about 90 local residents were hiding from shelling in the basement of the school. According to the Luhansk regional administration, about 60 people were killed.
Shelling schools is a war crime
According to the Ministry of Education estimates shared by minister Oksen Lisovyi, every sixth educational institution in Ukraine has suffered from Russian aggression.
Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, intentional targeting of buildings designated for education is a war crime. Commanders are criminally liable if they knew or should have known about the crimes of their subordinates and failed to take appropriate measures to prevent or punish them.
However, it is difficult to actually bring these crimes to justice. The Suspilne investigative editorial team explained in more detail why Russian war criminals can remain unpunished in the documentary “Spider and Other Unpunished”.