Underground school at UOC MP site in Kyiv teaches children "Russian world" principles - media. PHOTOS (updated)
Since February 2025, an illegal school has been operating at the UOC MP monastery "Holosiivska Pustyn" in Kyiv, where children are taught using Soviet textbooks, shown Russian films and taught Russian.
This is according to an investigation by Slidstvo.Info, Censor.NET reports.
What is known
Journalists learned about the existence of an educational institution where parishioners of one of Kyiv’s churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate send their children.
The journalist learned about the educational institution "Perspektyva", where parishioners of the church have been sending their children since February 2025. She was able to speak with staff and parents of pupils, pretending that she wanted to enroll a relative’s child in this school.
- The school’s director, Anna Bolhova, calls it a "family club", although it operates like an ordinary school: children study five days a week from 9:00 to 14:00, and there is also an extended-day group.
- As it was established, more than 60 children are currently studying at the school at the church, pupils from grades 1 to 9. According to the head of the institution, 16 teachers work there.
Soviet education and the foundations of the "Russian world"
The school follows the Soviet education system. For example, four grades of primary school were reduced to three. Among the textbooks, journalists found an arithmetic book published in 1966, which is still used to teach children.
The timetable for first grade also includes a subject called "Slavic language". In fact, this is Russian, but parents of pupils say it is "fifty-fifty".
"There is a big plus here in learning Russian, reading and studying, because, I mean, a person who, in fact, has Russian as their native language should be able to write properly in that language," the journalist was told by the mother of one of the school’s pupils.
The director of the school at the monastery also said that her school has subjects such as "Film" and "Music". In particular, children watched the Russian film "Five Secrets of a Real Man" and sang Soviet songs.
"Of course, there were wonderful songs. Now the older school teaches: 'Under the Blue Sky There Is a Golden City’ (the song 'Under the blue sky there is a golden city' by the Russian band Aquarium - ed.)," Bolhova told the journalist.
Who helped set it up
The director claims that the school operates as a "family club", where parents and pupils decide for themselves what kind of education to receive. Although the school has all the features of a regular educational institution, it does not have a licence, the investigation says.
One of the parents confirmed to the outlet that the children’s documents are held at another licensed school, while actual teaching takes place at the monastery. These pupils are enrolled in legal educational institutions such as the private lyceum "Rancho School" in Khotianka near Kyiv.
In the conversation, the director of the institution shared that the premises for the school were provided with the help of the abbot of the men’s monastery "Holy Protection Holosiivska Pustyn", Archbishop Isaakii of Vorzel (Fedir Andronyk).
Update
Later, the Security Service of Ukraine told Suspilne that it is looking into "possible unlawful activity" "as part of criminal proceedings". A pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
The State Service for Education Quality will also verify the facts set out in the investigation. It said that together with law enforcement it will take all measures provided by law to bring those responsible to justice.
"We stress that in the fourth year of the full-scale war, compliance with legislation in the education sector, protecting children’s rights, and preventing any manifestations of anti-state ideology in the educational environment are matters of national security," they added.
