Sofia's school was built entirely underground to protect her and other students in Zaporizhzhia, a southern Ukrainian city under intense aerial attacks. "There won't be any shrapnel, any strikes. I am safe," she says. There were at least 576 attacks on educational facilities in Ukraine in 2024, according to the UN. Besides schools, the Ukrainian government is also making sure medical facilities that treat wounded soldiers can function underground. "All above-ground targets are a priority for our enemy," says chief anaesthetist Sergiy. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES