Schools in Kyiv face closure threat: petition for remote learning due to shelling gains momentum

A new wave of debate regarding the safety of school education is unfolding in Kyiv. A petition (No. 14436) has been registered on the official website of the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) demanding that all schools in the city switch to a remote learning format. The initiative, which appeared on August 5, 2026, casts doubt on the possibility of safe in-person attendance at educational institutions amid ongoing Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital.

Initiator's arguments: psychological exhaustion and threat to life

The author of the appeal is Viktoriya Voytyuk. In the text of the petition, she emphasizes the critical state of children's mental health caused by constant stress. According to the initiator, regular ballistic attacks create a situation where there is often insufficient time to safely reach shelter. Nighttime shelling, which occurs several times a week, is of particular concern. Schoolchildren are forced to spend a significant part of the night in bomb shelters, leading to chronic sleep deprivation and an inability to fully absorb material during the day.

Historical precedent and current reality

Voytyuk refers to the successful experience of remote learning, which has already been applied in Ukraine twice: during the pandemic and in the first months of the full-scale invasion. The argumentation is based on the fact that the technical infrastructure and pedagogical experience for the remote format have already been established. Supporters of the petition believe that returning to the in-person format under current conditions is an unjustified risk that can be minimized by returning to proven remote work schemes.

Contradictory data

The question of switching to remote learning elicits polarized assessments among experts and authorities. On the one hand, petition initiators insist on a complete change of format to ensure safety. On the other hand, the official position, voiced by former Minister of Education Oksen Lesnyy, proposes a more flexible approach. Lesnyy stated that after nighttime shelling, school attendance should not be mandatory for exhausted children, offering them a chance to recover their strength, but not calling for a total closure of the education system. Furthermore, during the winter of 2026, when a significant part of Kyiv was left without heating, authorities were forced to temporarily merge schools and kindergartens or switch them to remote learning due to the cold, but not due to direct military threats during the day.

Path to consideration and public resonance

In order for the petition to be officially considered by Kyiv authorities, the authors must collect 6,000 signatures within 60 days. The start of the campaign coincided with a period when the topic of school safety became acute again due to the intensity of the strikes. The public is divided: some support the idea of protecting children at any cost, while others fear that a full transition to remote learning will harm the educational process and the socialization of children who are already under stress.