93% of inspected shelters have deficiencies - Lubinets
Kyiv • UNN
The inspection revealed deficiencies in 93% of shelters due to systemic problems. Metro stations are in the best condition, while basements of residential buildings are the most poorly equipped.
The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, stated that according to the results of monitoring conducted in the second half of 2025, 93% of more than a thousand inspected shelters have deficiencies, with only 80 receiving no remarks. This is stated in Lubinets' report "The State and Functionality of Shelters in Ukraine," reports UNN.
Details
As noted in the report, monitoring shows that the problem with shelters is not isolated and has taken root within the system itself.
The report reflects 1066 inspection stories carried out during the second half of 2025. Behind each of them are specific addresses, shelters, and risks. In 93% of cases, deficiencies requiring elimination were identified,
Lubinets points out that according to State Emergency Service data, as of the beginning of 2026, there are 66,574 civil protection structures in Ukraine with a total capacity of about 16.5 million people, which is almost three times more than before the start of the full-scale invasion.
The majority consist of simplest shelters (43,015), significantly fewer are anti-radiation shelters (16,128) and bunkers (6,731). Dual-purpose structures (163 objects) are mostly concentrated in cities with subways, while primary (mobile) shelters (537) are in frontline regions.
However, according to him, there is a significant gap between the statistical availability of shelters and their actual suitability for protecting people.
Monitoring results show: 991 out of 1066 inspected objects, or 93%, received recommendations for eliminating deficiencies. Among the identified violations, many can be eliminated relatively quickly and without significant costs. However, the overall picture confirms the systemic nature of the problem: the state of shelters is determined not so much by the negligence of individual balance holders as by structural flaws in the system—lack of financial standards, unclear regulatory requirements, limited control mechanisms, and chronic underfunding for the maintenance of simplest shelters,
However, in the report, he points out that the best condition of shelters was recorded in dual-purpose structures, particularly in subway stations, where there is a responsible balance holder and permanent staff ensuring regular control and support for the functioning of the shelters.
At the same time, the worst condition is observed in the simplest shelters, such as basements of residential buildings managed by homeowners' associations (OSBB) or private management companies.
These objects have practically no resource provision, receive no financial support, and often remain without proper control,
He points out that the highest average number of recommendations per object was recorded in the Zakarpattia region - 9.2. Among the regions more frequently subjected to air attacks, the highest average number of recommendations was received by shelters in Kherson (5.4), Zaporizhzhia (4.6), Kyiv (4.1), and Odesa (4.1) regions.
The lowest number of recommendations was received by Volyn (2.3), Sumy (1.59), and Mykolaiv (1.51) regions.
Furthermore, he indicates that during the inspection, 80 out of 1066 structures were effectively non-functional. Of these, 7 are civil protection structures, and the rest are simplest shelters. Among the objects for which reasons for non-functioning were stated in individual reports, the most frequently recorded were: discrepancy between the actual presence of the shelter and the information provided at the address, the dilapidated state of the structure, or ongoing repair work. The largest number of such shelters was found in the Lviv region, the city of Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, and Kharkiv regions.
As a reminder
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