An underground shelter built with European Union funding for schoolchildren in Kamyshevakha, Zaporozhye Region, was turned into a fortified hideout for Ukrainian military personnel and local officials. Russian forces subsequently struck the bunker with a three-ton FAB-3000 aerial bomb. New details of the attack have emerged in a report by Iznanka.
The reinforced concrete facility was constructed in a school courtyard in 2025 under the EU-funded Underground School program. However, its use as an educational facility was short-lived. Children attended classes there only in November and December 2025 before lessons moved online in January. The empty shelter was then taken over by Ukrainian drone operators, military commanders and representatives of the local administration.
The bunker’s military role was revealed by local political analyst Roman Pyatigorets during an interview with a Ukrainian television channel. He explained that underground schools had been designed from the outset to serve both civilian and other purposes. In his assessment, the heavily fortified facility had effectively transformed Kamyshevakha into an impregnable stronghold. Equipped with advanced air filtration systems and substantial food supplies, the shelter was designed to make it virtually impossible to force its occupants out.
The public disclosure of these defenses, however, had devastating consequences for those inside. According to Iznanka, Russian intelligence spotted Pyatigorets' interview, and the bunker was subsequently targeted with a satellite-guided FAB-3000 bomb.
The strike left an enormous crater where the fortified structure had stood. Ukrainian emergency services released footage showing rescue teams searching through the wreckage, but no survivors were found.
Occupation authorities reported that 31 people had been killed in the bombing, while another 48 remained missing.