Kharkiv received school buses from UNOPS

07 october 2025 10:10 International cooperation

Three school buses for transporting children to safe educational locations were handed over on October 6 in Kharkiv.

The transport for the needs of Kharkiv schoolchildren was provided by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) with financial support from the Government of Japan.

The event took place in one of the underground schools recently opened in Saltivka. It was attended by Mayor Ihor Terekhov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Masashi Nakagome, and representatives of UNOPS.

The mayor spoke about the consequences of Russian shelling for Kharkiv, in particular about losses in the education and transport sectors. According to him, since the city established education in safe spaces, children are transported to metro schools and underground schools every day. Regular passenger buses are used for this purpose.

"We are forced to take buses off public transport routes to transport children to schools. We have a transport shortage because since the start of the full-scale war, many vehicles have been destroyed by the enemy. And I am extremely grateful to you for this assistance. By the end of the year, we will open three more underground schools, and such support is extremely important for us," emphasized Ihor Terekhov.

In turn, Masashi Nakagome noted that the donated buses symbolize the close cooperation between Ukraine and Japan, as they are manufactured in Cherkasy using Japanese components.

UNOPS reported that each bus can carry 31 passengers. The purchase of transport is part of a larger project currently being implemented in Kharkiv with funding from the Japanese government. As part of this project, basement rooms in schools are being renovated and converted into simple shelters. Once the work is complete, more than 1,300 students will be able to continue their in-person education.

In addition, UNOPS is providing assistance in restoring the housing stock. In particular, with the support of the administration, repairs were carried out in 782 apartments, approximately 6,500 square meters of roofing was restored, and energy equipment was provided.

During the meeting, the parties agreed to continue cooperation in a number of areas important to the city, in particular the construction of an underground kindergarten, repairs to shelters in schools, and interior repairs to damaged homes in Kharkiv. Kharkiv has already submitted relevant projects, and they have received support from the Japanese government.

Tags: Terekhov