Schools and cinemas no longer function across Ukraine because of the Russian bombing threat. After several months people realized that something resembling normal life could resume down in the long-forgotten bunkers dotting the country since Soviet times.

In a bunker built in the 1960s to withstand the impact of a nuclear attack during the Cold war — a children’s sports competition is underway (picture above). A city in south Ukraine has transformed this bunker and similar underground dwellings into arenas and performance venues that gather hundreds for weekend events in a bid to give their children a semblance of normality.

Young Ukrainian boys with their parents, prepare their equipment during a Judo competition organized in a nuclear bunker on October 22, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.