Building 7, which houses the International Drilling and Training Center equipped with a DrillSim 5000 drilling simulator, took a direct hit from an Iskander missile. The valuable facility was virtually completely destroyed. It happened on 22 June at 20 minutes after 4 a.m. The structure of the facility is compromised, although the damage does not look so fatal at first glance. Fortunately, the attack occurred at night, so there were no casualties.

The pressure wave was so strong that virtually all the buildings in the vast complex suffered damage. In total, more than 800 windows and 1,000 square metres of roofs were destroyed, with visible damage to 14 buildings. The sewerage system throughout the complex was apparently damaged. It is difficult to estimate how much the repairs will cost in total, as structural engineers and experts are now making assessments of the condition of several buildings.

The million donated by the Ukrainian subsidiary MND will go towards the restoration of the school grounds, with which the company has been cooperating for many years. Previously, local students even came to Hodonín for internships.

"We provided scholarships and always allowed two students to intern in Hodonín for the holidays. Unfortunately, this ended with the covid," says Lukáš Svozil, head of the Ukrainian branch of MND. Now the student support programme will run again. This time, however, in a different form. There will be no internships in Hodonín, but a university committee will select the students who will receive scholarships from MND. These will amount to five thousand hryvnia per month, which is certainly a welcome addition to student life.

Help from former students of the city and companies

Meanwhile, IFNTUOG and the city have launched a fundraiser to help the university get back up and running and prepare young people for jobs in the energy sector. "In these challenging times, the community of Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas appeals to our alumni, partners and all those who want to help and financially support us in overcoming the consequences of another Russian crime," the school said on its Facebook profile.

The attack on the university was part of a larger Russian attack on energy infrastructure in the south and west of the country that night. In addition to the university, other targets were energy facilities in Zaporozhye and Lviv regions.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia used a total of 16 missiles and 13 drones in the attack. Ukrainian forces successfully intercepted seven of ten Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles, one of two Iskander-K missiles, and all four Kalibr missiles and 13 drones.

The Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas is a medium-sized university by Ukrainian standards, offering courses in geology, oil and gas production, engineering, technology and more. IFNTUOG graduates work in large oil and gas companies in Ukraine, such as UGV or Ukrnafta. Horizons could also offer them an internship in Lviv in the future. This would be such a good opportunity for future recruitment of promising young people.

The school has more than 10 thousand students. Several hundred foreign students from 35 countries studied here before the war.