Ukrainian front-line students celebrate back-to-school despite ever-present air raid alarms

Associated Press

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) — Just hours after a dawn air raid alarm rang through the city, Zaporizhzhia schoolchildren have celebrated the traditional first day of school. With the front just 40 kilometers (25 miles) away, the war is never far from the minds of teachers and families. Because of a ban on large gatherings in the city, which is regularly struck by Russian artillery and missiles, only students starting their first and last years were allowed in the parade at one school. Wearing traditional embroidered Ukrainian shirts and carrying roses, the children lined up in pairs and held hands — each small student with a teenager. Despite the wartime restrictions, the entire ceremony on Sunday was a celebration of Ukraine’s future.