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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The Russian army on 2 November fired more than 9 high-explosive guided aerial bombs (KAB) at the settlement of Komyshuvakha. As a result, 31 person was killed. It is worth noting that the shelter in Komyshuvakha, which became the target of the Russian attack, was not just an ordinary basement but an official modern “underground school.” An informant found out who commissioned and who built the shelter that did not save people.
What happened
The shelling occurred between 10:00 and 11:00, when residents of Komyshuvakha and inhabitants of surrounding villages were due to receive humanitarian bread. President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that after the first airstrike, Russian forces carried out a repeated strike, dropping nine more aerial bombs on the shelter where people were located.
“The Russians could not have not known that every week locals who remained in Komyshuvakha received humanitarian aid there. And this is further proof that Russia does not want any de-escalation, no real justice. After the humanitarian operation in Oleshky there was a moment when the next steps could have shown that approaching peace was possible. With these killings Russia sends a completely opposite signal – Russia is counting on further killings,” Volodymyr Zelensky wrote.
Putin’s and his army’s atrocities are the main cause of the tragedy. But the question remains – why did the radiation-protection shelter, which the Regional Military Administration and the Ministry of Social Policy were so proud of, not save people?
Not a simple shelter
At one time, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration Ivan Fedorov emphasized that the safety of children and teachers is an absolute priority in implementing the large-scale project to build underground schools in the frontline region. According to his statements, these facilities were constructed as full-fledged radiation-protection shelters, capable of withstanding direct missile attacks and ensuring an uninterrupted educational process. With nationwide standards for roof/floor thickness at 400 and 600 mm, in Zaporizhzhia schools they are 600 mm and 800 mm respectively, and the structure is additionally protected from above by a several-meter layer of earth.
“We questioned the effectiveness of these measures, identifying a systemic risk of technology violations, a risk of severe consequences in the event of destruction of a thickened roof (which would lead to more serious consequences compared to a roof of ordinary thickness), as well as the unconfirmed reliability of the building. Instead, Mr. Fedorov assured the public of the safety and reliability of this educational space for children. We asked donors to support our research on the outcome of these constructions to prevent such consequences, but at Yednannia... there are priorities other than the safety of children. This was the 13-th opened ‘underground school’ in Zaporizhzhia region,” writes Nataliya Zabolotna.
The “underground school” in the frontline settlement of Komyshuvakha in Zaporizhzhia region was officially opened on 17 October 2025 by the participation of the Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity Denys Ulyutin. This was already the thirteenth such school in Zaporizhzhia region, the Ministry of Social Policy boasted.
“The community is constantly under shelling. In the event of an emergency, the school will operate as a Point of Resilience. Here you can not only study, but also stay during prolonged power outages or shelling,” says acting director of the Department of Education and Science of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration Olena Kazannikova at the opening of the underground school.
Even then the enemy attacked Komyshuvakha with drones, KABs, and artillery. In military reports this populated place appears very often. The head of the region announced the intention to start construction of the school in Komyshuvakha in September 2024. However, by the end of the year the construction of the facility was put on pause by the RMA. The reason was the security situation. But by mid-January 2025 the head of the region Ivan Fedorov reported that the school in Komyshuvakha would be built after all. Its cost is about 110 million UAH. It was built according to the same design as other schools in the region.
“At first (at the end of 2024) the project was ‘put on pause’ due to discussions and concerns about the safety of building a large facility just 15–20 km from the frontline. However, after numerous appeals from parents, educators and deputies of the Komyshuvakha community, construction resumed in February 2025. The ‘protected educational space’ was built directly on the territory of the Komyshuvakha Gymnasium ‘Dzherelo’, the above-ground building of which was completely destroyed by Russian S-300 rockets in July 2023,” writes Nataliya Zabolotna.
The space was designed for teaching up to 1000 children in two shifts (at the time classes began, more than 300 students from several schools attended there). The facility was fully inclusive and barrier-free (equipped with lifts, elevators, tactile tiles and Braille). Inside were placed modern multimedia classrooms, a medical office, a sports area, a cafeteria and a relaxation corner. At one time Minister of Social Policy Denys Ulyutin personally checked how well the new educational space met the principles of accessibility, safety and barrier-free design.
“The cynicism of the situation is that the person who assured us of reliability and safety now angrily comments on this tragedy, forgetting about his role in it. At the same time, the threat to take revenge by ruin for this crime looks comical. I wonder by what method and by what means, other than words? Populism and corruption kill. I will not stop saying this. By destroying today the radiation-protection shelter of the Komyshuvakha educational institution, the rashists have refined a mechanism that they can now impose on other ‘underground schools.’ The method of protecting both bridges, and DniproHES, and schools is the same — destruction of carriers and ammo depots on the enemy’s territory before their use,” writes Nataliya Zabolotna.
Super-school without children
The settlement of Komyshuvakha is located about 20 km from the frontline. In February 2026 the head of the community moved from Komyshuvakha to a neighboring settlement because his apartment was destroyed by shelling. The ‘underground school’ was already without children. After the destruction of the village council building, most administrative functions were transferred to the gymnasium’s shelter. Documents were processed there and humanitarian aid was distributed. Residents whose homes were destroyed by another shelling spent nights in the ‘underground school’.
What the documents say
According to Prozorro data, the customer of the project “New construction of the radiation-protection shelter of Komyshuvakha Gymnasium ‘Dzherelo’ of the Komyshuvakha settlement council – Zaporizhzhia district, settlement Komyshuvakha, Shkilna St., 42”
was the state enterprise “Local Roads of Zaporizhzhia Region” or SE “MDZO.” Cost: 109 million 68 thousand 633 UAH. The works were completed by the end of 2025. This enterprise is controlled by and accountable to the Zaporizhzhia RMA, which is its founder. At that time the Zaporizhzhia RMA was headed by Ivan Fedorov. The main function of “MDZO” is the maintenance of the region’s roads. It can also perform tasks for the Ministry of Infrastructure, acting as the customer for construction (including fortifications for the military).
At the time of signing the contract SE “MDZO” was headed by Viktoriia Repashevska. In 2019–2024 years she was director of the Department of Capital Construction and Housing and Communal Services of Melitopol City Council, where the mayor was Ivan Fedorov from 2020 to 2024. In February 2025 SE “MDZO” commissioned consulting services for the construction of the school shelter from sole proprietor Oleksandr Nesterchuk from the city of Samara, Dnipropetrovsk region for 787 920 hryvnias.
The shelter was built by LLC “Vivat Bud” from Zaporizhzhia. The firm was the sole participant in the tender. Director of LLC “Vivat Bud” Oleksii Pavlenko is a former employee of the Zaporizhzhia Customs. According to the analytical system YouControl, the owner of the firm, Volodymyr Tarasenko from Zaporizhzhia, is a former deputy head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration under Vitalii Turynek in 2019–2020.
At the end of 2025 that year the same contractor was ordered additional work on the project “New construction of the radiation-protection shelter of Komyshuvakha Gymnasium ‘Dzherelo’ of the Komyshuvakha settlement council – Zaporizhzhia district, settlement Komyshuvakha, Shkilna St., 42” for 14 million 582 thousand 891 UAH. Most of that money (13 800 680,68 UAH) was an educational subsidy from the state budget to local budgets for arranging safe conditions in general secondary education institutions. We tried to understand what exactly had to be done for that money, but we did not find a description more detailed than the wording “Construction works.”
This is important to know
LLC “Vivat Bud” built, without competition, a similar radiation-protection underground shelter at the Rozumivka village gymnasium in Zaporizhzhia region on behalf of SE “MDZO” — for 69 million 855 thousand 989 UAH. It then carried out additional works there for 15,96 million UAH. At the request of “MDZO” in the village of Maksymivka, Zaporizhzhia region, the company built a radiation-protection shelter at a school for 45 million 831 thousand 121 UAH.
In 2025 the Service for Restoration and Development of Infrastructure of Zaporizhzhia region ordered LLC “Vivat Bud” to construct a protective structure for 5 transformers in the city for over 181 million UAH. In addition, the Service ordered the private company to build classified objects for 298,3 million UAH. Another 137,2 million UAH was allocated by the Zaporizhzhia RMA for reconstruction of two facilities that were not publicly named.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Популізм і корупція вбивають - 31 людина загинула в суперукритті, збудованому в Запорізькій області за понад 100 млн грн". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Informator.
