Video: Ukrainian students return to the ruins of their school for graduation dance

Screengrab from a video uploaded on Twitter by @MFA_Ukraine

In a Ukrainian city destroyed by Russian shelling, a group of students returned to the ruins of their school to mark their graduation. Dressed in tuxedos and prom dresses, the students performed a sombre waltz in front of the dilapidated building of School No. 134 in Kharkiv.

In Ukraine, the graduating class traditionally dances a waltz in front of the entire school to mark the happy occasion. This time, as parents of the graduating teens gathered in front of the destroyed school to watch their farewell dance performance, the ruins served as a grim reminder of a war that is still raging.

As the teens performed their waltz, armed Ukrainian soldiers looked on in the background.

School No. 134 in Kharkiv was heavily-damaged days after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, said Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a tweet alongside a video of the teens’ performance. The school later became the last outpost for Russian occupiers, the ministry said.

Students of School #134, Kharkiv, danced their prom waltz against the backdrop of the ruins of their Alma mater.
Heavily damaged days after #Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, the school later became the last outpost for #Russian occupiers in Kharkiv.
Suspilne pic.twitter.com/de7yYQy1Mt

— MFA of Ukraine (@MFA_Ukraine) June 6, 2022

“We had imagined a different ‘last bell’ for our kids, but it is what it is, and we want to have a celebration for the kids,” said Olena Mosolova, a geography teacher from the school.

The Russia-Ukraine war began on February 24 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Kharkiv, which is just 30 miles from the Russian border, was heavily damaged in Russian shelling.