Despite All The Enemy’s Attempts To Disrupt The School Year, Our Children Went To School — Zelenskyy Visits Rebuilt School In Kyiv Region On September 1

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy inaugurated the reopening of a school in the Kyiv region, which Russian forces had completely demolished in 2022, on September 1. He emphasized that children throughout Ukraine had begun attending classes, despite the enemy's attempts to disrupt the school season. Zelenskyy expressed his congratulations to the first-graders, all schoolchildren, parents, and the entire nation.

Addressing teachers and staff during the visit, he expressed his gratitude for their efforts, as well as to parents who had remained in Ukraine despite air raid warnings and Russian attacks.

Zelenskyy pointed out that Russia had been targeting Ukrainian infrastructure over the past two weeks, likely attempting to impede the start of the school year. He noted that while much of Europe and the world were on summer vacation, Ukraine faced ongoing conflict. Zelenskyy described the situation as having an "unpleasant aftertaste" of diplomacy conducted according to a calendar rather than urgency.

He suggested that clearer international signals could have influenced Russia's behavior on September 1, as the nation tends to become more cautious when faced with strong diplomatic pressure. Zelenskyy argued that if such signals had been conveyed, Russia would have acted differently on that day, as it tends to become nervous when diplomacy is loudly expressed.

He lamented the disparity between those resting and those fighting for survival, stating that it was unfortunate that some were taking a break while others were risking their lives.