425 shelters being prepared in Kyiv in case of a possible nuclear strike

The Kyiv Oblast Military Administration hopes to prepare 425 special shelters in case of a nuclear strike by Russia in the next two weeks; the shelters will be equipped with portable battery-powered radios.

Source: Oleksii Kuleba, Head of the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration, in an interview with hromadske

Details: When asked what measures are being taken in Kyiv Oblast to prepare for possible nuclear strikes, Kuleba said that the past eight months have taught us that anything can happen and that therefore his duty as a government official is to prepare for the worst-case scenario. However, he hopes that nothing as major as a nuclear strike will happen.

He explained that the issue of nuclear shelters has been dormant for the past 30 years, but "things have changed" in the past five months: he is pleading with people not to treat it as merely a formality.

Quote from Kuleba: "There are 425 special shelters in Kyiv Oblast. They are located underground; each has two entrances and two exits, a functioning ventilation system. There are almost 1,000 such shelters in Kyiv Oblast. The most basic ones are located in basements, with windows partly onto the street; they do not offer proper protection against radiation threat.

Obviously, [in case of a nuclear strike] one must first of all find shelter. Secondly, and this is crucial, one must have means of communication. It is likely that if a nuclear strike takes place, there will be no phone service. The only thing that will keep working is the radio.

That’s why portable battery-powered radios must be made available [in shelters]; they will allow people to communicate. Because access to information will be essential. It will allow people to find out how to proceed."

Details: When asked whether each of these 425 shelters was already equipped with a radio, Kuleba said: "As of today, they are not. But we want to urgently make sure each of them has a radio. We will do this by 15 November."

The Head of the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration said that local residents already know where their nearest bomb shelters are located and explained that "for the most part these are the same shelters that will protect them from radiation."

"Every other shelter in Kyiv Oblast [can be used in the event of a nuclear strike]. These are not some separate structures. They are better reinforced and located further below the ground," Kuleba said.

He further added that in case of a nuclear attack, the government will use every means of distributing information at its disposal: government hotlines, radio, loudspeakers. Cars fitted out with loudspeakers will drive around, providing information to the local residents. This is the responsibility of the State Emergency Service; however, if necessary, the police will also be involved.

All emergency services have radiation protection equipment. The Head of the Oblast Military Administration said that they have also completed training in the past week "so that everyone knows the actions they will be required to perform."

Kuleba said that the government is verifying and updating evacuation routes and is developing an action plan.

Quote from Kuleba: "We have evacuation plans for each and every city, town and village, each and every territorial hromada. In each of those, there is an assembly point where people will have to gather to be evacuated; there are designated vehicles that will be deployed to carry out the evacuation. Each and every hromada has a person responsible for this.

There are more than enough vehicles to carry out the evacuation, for example, municipal transport can be deployed. Wherever there is a lack of municipal transport, other public transport providers [in particular, minibuses - ed.] will be deployed. Military vehicles can also be used."

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