During a massive missile and drone attack on Kyiv on the night of June 15, city residents were once again forced to descend into the subway overnight, which operated as a shelter.
Recently, as enemy raids have become more frequent and air raids longer, people have begun bringing not only folding chairs and mats into the metro, but also inflatable mattresses, cots, and tents. During Monday's shelling of Kyiv, someone even brought a double bed onto the metro platform. Granted, it was an inflatable one.
Bulky items in the metro during air raids have already sparked an emotional debate among Ukrainians. Even representatives of the utility company "Kyiv Metropoliten" and the Kyiv City Military Administration have joined in. UNN looked into whether mattresses and cots will be banned in the metro.
Shelter is not a campsite: KMDA explains whether tents and cots can be brought into the metro during air raids
To understand the situation, the editorial office reached out to the Department of Municipal Security of the Kyiv City State Administration (KMDA). Representatives of the executive body were asked if they would officially consider a ban on bringing bulky items into the subway during missile and drone attacks.
Roman Tkachuk, director of the department, noted in a written response to UNN's request that currently, the installation of camping equipment and the use of tourist furniture in civil defense protection structures (which is what the Kyiv metro turns into during an air raid) are not regulated by legal acts.
At the same time, paragraph 2 of chapter 4 of section VI of the Requirements for the maintenance, arrangement, and operation of civil defense protection structures, approved by Order No. 579 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine dated 07.09.2018, prohibits bringing flammable substances, substances with a strong odor, or bulky items into shelters.
In addition, as Tkachuk explained, citing current legislation, the minimum area per person in a shelter (in our case, the main premises of the dual-purpose structure of the utility company
"Kyiv Metropoliten") is 1 m2.
"That is, placing bulky items like tents, cots, and mattresses takes up an area larger than the calculated space for shelters and reduces the capacity of the dual-purpose structure. Therefore, citizens who use more than the intended shelter area are violating the fundamental rights, guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine, of other persons in need of shelter," the director of the KMDA Department of Municipal Security summarized.
At the same time, the relevant department stated that they are ready to participate in public discussions on the problem. However, only on issues within its jurisdiction.
Not just the metro: which shelters in Kyiv should protect people during attacks
Underground stations of the Kyiv metro are part of the capital's fund of civil defense protection structures. However, they are not the only shelters in the city, Roman Tkachuk detailed in a written response to UNN.
He emphasized that in practice, underground metro stations are dual-purpose protection structures. They have the protective properties of shelters and radiation shelters. However, people can stay in them for no longer than 48 hours (two days).
At the same time, according to Tkachuk, the capital's fund of protection structures includes other objects that have the necessary properties to protect people during Russia's missile and drone attacks.
"All civil defense protection structures and dual-purpose structures with appropriate protective properties included in the fund are built in such a way as to create proper conditions for the stay of people subject to sheltering for a certain period of time," Tkachuk reported.
He explained that such facilities must provide protection for people during emergencies, military actions, combat operations, or terrorist acts. This refers to reducing or preventing the impact of hazardous factors that may arise in such conditions.
KMDA names the number of suitable shelters in the capital as of June
Answering questions from UNN journalists regarding how many shelters have been created in Kyiv and what state they are in, the relevant department noted the following:
"According to the data of the Information System 'Accounting and Visualization of the Fund of Civil Defense Protection Structures,' as of June 2026, 4,356 objects of the fund of civil defense protection structures are suitable for their intended use to protect the population."
Kyiv residents and guests of the capital can use them during air raids as an alternative to metro shelters.
Kyiv Metropoliten reacts to possible discussion of rules for people's stay during air raids
UNN also reached out to representatives of the utility company "Kyiv Metropoliten" to find out if they are ready to allow or prohibit people from bringing cots, inflatable mattresses, and tents to the subway stations.
In response, the deputy head of the enterprise, Dmytro Pinchuk, stated readiness to discuss the organization of sheltering people during air raids.
"In the event that authorized bodies conduct a relevant discussion
regarding the organization of the population's stay at metro stations during the 'Air Raid' signal, KP 'Kyiv Metropoliten' will participate within its competence and granted powers," Pinchuk assured.
At the same time, the KMDA Department of Municipal Security confirmed to our journalists that they have not received any proposals from representatives of the capital's metro regarding a discussion on allowing or prohibiting bulky items at metro stations during air raids.
"As of the date of the response, no proposals regarding the participation of representatives in public discussions on the installation of camping equipment or the use of tourist furniture in the premises of underground stations of KP 'Kyiv Metropoliten,' which are included in the fund of civil defense protection structures of the city of Kyiv as dual-purpose structures, have been received by the Department," the response to UNN stated.
How to use the metro during an air raid: advice given to the public
Representatives of the Kyiv metro gave several recommendations on how to behave to people who use the subway as a shelter.
In order to stay in the subway overnight, it is necessary to:
- arrive at the station before it closes for entry (detailed operating hours for each station are available via the link in the comments);
- inform staff and the police that you plan to stay all night;
- go down to the platform. Station staff will advise on the best place to settle.
To make the stay at stations during the night safer and more comfortable, all city residents were advised to have with them:
- warm clothes, blankets, and mats, as the average temperature in the shelter is 17–18°C, and there may be drafts due to the presence of tunnels and other underground premises;
- personal medications and a bottle of water;
- hygiene products (wet and dry wipes);
- for pet owners – pads and bags.
People were also asked, if possible, to choose central metro stations for shelter, where fewer people stay during air raids.
Petition to ban tents in the metro: what is known about it now
On June 2, people registered a document on the electronic petitions website of the Kyiv City Council demanding a ban on the use of tourist tents, inflatable beds, and bulky mattresses at metro stations during air raids to ensure maximum shelter capacity.
Petition No. 14277 was created by Natalia Tyts. The woman demanded that city government authorities:
- introduce an official ban on the deployment of tourist tents, inflatable beds, mattresses, and other bulky sleeping equipment that limits the usable area of metro platforms and passages during air raids;
- introduce administrative liability for violating this norm in the form of a fine of 5,000 hryvnias with confiscation of the specified property;
- obligate police officers and station duty officers to exercise constant control, promptly identify violators, demand the folding of such objects, and draw up relevant administrative protocols.
"In the area occupied by one such tent or mattress (where only 1-2 people stay), 4 to 10 people could safely and relatively comfortably sit. Due to the selfish use of space, other city residents, including the elderly, pregnant women, and children, lack space," the author of the petition argued.
As of June 15, the document was signed by 1,140 Ukrainians. The author of the collective statement has 46 days left for it to gain the necessary 6,000 signatures for consideration by the Kyiv authorities.
Tents and mattresses in the Kyiv metro: how it all began
On June 4, 2026, KMDA spokesperson Kateryna Pop stated that the agency might prohibit people who descend into the subway during Russia's missile and drone attacks on the capital from bringing and setting up tents.
According to her, during night raids, a problem of lack of space arises in the subway: some people set up tents, making it harder for others to find space in the shelter.
The agency spokesperson added that the problem of lack of space in the capital's subway, which turns into a shelter at night, is urgent and could even be discussed at public hearings.
In addition, Kateryna Pop called on city residents and guests of the capital to respect those nearby in the shelters during night missile and drone attacks and to care for their comfort as well.
The official was reacting to the situation that occurred in the capital's subway on the night of June 2. At that time, the metro sheltered a record number of people – 41,000 residents and guests of the capital.
People on the station platforms began to run out of space because it was occupied by bulky tents, mattresses, and even cots that people brought to the shelter to wait out the night in safety. Disputes and arguments immediately began to break out among the people.
The scandal moved to social media, and then leading Ukrainian media outlets wrote about it, forcing the authorities and representatives of the utility company "Kyiv Metropoliten" to officially react to the situation.
Later, a representative of the Kyiv City Council, deputy Ksenia Semenova, joined the discussion. She emphasized that the fault for the situation with tents in the metro lies not with the people who brought them to the shelter, but with the Kyiv authorities, who, in the fifth year of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian armed forces, have not equipped comfortable and safe shelters for city residents and guests. Furthermore, Semenova noted that the metro management had not improved the situation either.
Kyiv considers banning tents and mattresses in the metro during air raids02.06.26, 18:57