Minister: Only 15% of bomb shelters in Kyiv suitable for use without ‘significant issues’

Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin reported on June 10 that only 15% of all 4,655 bomb shelters audited in Kyiv are suitable for use “without significant issues.”

“The results are disappointing,” Kamyshin wrote on Telegram.

According to him, 50% of checked bomb shelters in the capital are “technically suitable for use” but must be “put in order.” Thirty-five percent of the shelters were deemed unusable.

Also, only 44% of bomb shelters are “freely accessible,” Kamyshin reported. While 21% of shelters are “available within five minutes,” he added, explaining that these shelters are opened by the guards on duty.

Ukrainian authorities started a nationwide audit after two women and a nine-year-old child were killed by missile debris in Kyiv on June 1 as they couldn’t access the bomb shelter at a nearby clinic.

The incident triggered a major scandal, with Kyiv residents criticizing the authorities for failing to ensure the proper functioning of bomb shelters.

Clinic guard arrested over locked bomb shelter that led to civilian deaths in Kyiv

In an unexpected turn that left many commentators dissatisfied, the June 3 arrest hearing appeared to put the majority of responsibility for the tragedy on the clinic’s elderly night guard.

The Kyiv IndependentDaria Shulzhenko

Earlier on June 9, the Kyiv City Military Administration said it would initiate a change to the legislation to prevent property developers from bypassing the requirements to equip residential buildings with bomb shelters.

According to Petro Panteleiev, the administration’s deputy head, the current legislation allows developers to either include bomb shelters in their construction projects or ensure one is nearby. “There should be no ‘or,’” he said.

On June 3, Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko reported that the city authorities had received about 1,000 complaints from Kyiv residents within just one day of initiating the feedback system.