The number of shelters in Ukraine has tripled since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion
Kyiv • UNN
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the number of protective structures in Ukraine has increased from 20 to 62 thousand. The requirements for the design of shelters have changed, including an increase in the minimum height to 2.5 meters.
There are more than 62,000 protective structures in Ukraine, while there were about 20,000 before the full-scale invasion. This was reported by the State Emergency Service, according to UNN.
Details
According to Viktor Vitovetskyi, Director of the Department for Organization of Civil Protection Measures of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, this was due to changes in both laws and bylaws.
According to him, the changes also apply to the structural elements of protective structures. In particular, when it comes to anti-radiation shelters or shelters, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Emergency Service, together with the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Ministry of Defense, have determined an indicator of, for example, excessive shock wave pressure of 100 kilopascals.
This is quite a lot of pressure, but it is due to the use of modern weapons that Russia constantly uses against Ukrainian citizens,
In addition, the changes affected such elements as the height of the protective structure. Since the height standard of 1.9 meters was adopted in Soviet times, it must now be at least 2.5 meters.
According to Vitovetskyi, rescuers, together with police officers, are constantly checking the condition of shelters and shelters.
The most common violations are the lack of seating, drinking water, and a second or emergency exit from the shelter. After such observations, the owners and operators of the shelters eliminate the deficiencies.
Recall
In 2024, the Kyiv metro provided shelter to more than 450,000 people during nighttime air raids. Many more passengers used metro stations as shelters during the day.
