On September 1, 2026, Ukrainian stars once again came together in a shared ritual — seeing their children off on the first day of the new school year. Dozens of family photos appeared on social media: mothers and fathers pose alongside their schoolchildren, gift them bouquets, and leave warm wishes. Behind the familiar festive aesthetic this year lies a deeper message — about peace, calm, and the right of children to an ordinary childhood even amid war.
Lev's "Bugs" and Kvitkova's Family Photo
Blogger Kvitkova, together with her husband, took their son Lev to school. In the published photos, the family poses together, and the boy, like many first-graders and younger schoolchildren, examines the "bugs" he brought with him. "Look how grown-up Levchik already is. We came to the new school year with bugs too," Kvitkova captioned the photo, noting how much the child has grown.
Anxiety and Shelters: A Theme That Cannot Be Avoided
Actress Olena Svytlytska arrived at the school assembly together with her daughters Vera and Maria and confessed that this year the Day of Knowledge evokes a special kind of anxiety in her. "Our children do not know a childhood without anxiety and shelters, but great respect to those who continue to create comfortable conditions for learning in Ukraine, to the extent possible," she wrote. Actress Sahaichanka made a similar point, wishing her eldest son a "light and calm school year" and all children of Ukraine, and emphasizing that she most of all longs for peace and calm, especially for the children.
Vyshyvankas, School Uniforms, and Humor
Singer Jamala published rare photos with her husband and children: for the first day of the new school year, the boys chose vyshyvankas. "You teach me to be even stronger. Thank you for your strength and patience," the artist addressed her children, adding that the family would do everything possible so that the children "still knew what childhood is, even in these difficult times." TV presenter Grisha Reshetnik showed his sons in school uniforms and shared that the youngest of them was sitting at a school desk for the first time — the boy is five, and will turn six in the autumn. In another photo, the host joked that the children "are not very happy about the start of the school year." The leader of the band O.Torvald, for his part, succinctly posted a photo with his daughter and wished her a successful school year.
A Common Message: The Right to a Childhood
The collection of posts from September 1, 2026 forms a single narrative: behind the congratulations and family photos lies an acknowledgment that the current generation of children has grown up in conditions their parents never knew. The stars openly speak about anxiety, but at the same time they emphasize the importance of preserving school traditions — bouquets, vyshyvankas, the assembly, and the first bell. It is precisely these details, they say, that help children feel a sense of normalcy and stability.
