A Russian drone attack hit Kyiv’s Or Avner Chabad Jewish school early Tuesday morning, causing structural damage just hours before the arrival of students. Kyiv’s Chief Rabbi, Yonatan Benyamin Markovitch, expressed relief over the timing, calling it a “tremendous miracle” that no one was in the building during the explosion.

The Perlina school, part of Ukraine’s Or Avner Chabad network, sustained heavy damage to classrooms, the school’s vehicle, and student rest areas, though no injuries were reported on-site. Windows fortified with protective film prevented further internal destruction. However, some individuals in an adjacent building were wounded.

Rabbi Markovitch and his wife, Elke Inna Markovitch, inspected the site with city officials and local police, assessing the impact and planning for the school’s continuation. “We experienced a tremendous miracle that students were not in the building at the time of the explosion,” said Markovitch. “The light of Torah and Jewish education in Kyiv will not be dimmed…we will continue to nurture our children’s souls, even in these challenging times.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)