Kyiv's bomb shelters are in a dire state. Mayor Klitschko is passing on the blame
On the night of Aug. 1, Olena Rozhniativska and her 18-year-old daughter Kateryna rushed to a bomb shelter as ballistic missiles tore into Kyiv during one of Russia's mass attacks. They were killed before they could hide in an underground shelter, along with five other people in Darnytskyi district that night. "I didn't even have time to get out of the bedroom before there was already this…
On August 1, 2025, Olena Rozhniativska and her 18-year-old daughter Kateryna sought refuge in a bomb shelter during a Russian missile attack on Kyiv. Regretfully, they were among the six fatalities that night. Raisa, a 70-year-old resident, recounted the horrifying explosion and the screams that followed as she managed to escape.
Kyiv's shelter network, consisting of 4,385 facilities, struggles to accommodate the city's population of approximately 3.7 million people. Of these shelters, only 77 are considered truly protective, collectively housing slightly more than 54,000 individuals - far less than 60% of the population. Sadly, many residents lack access to these shelters, as some are privately owned or located too far away.
During intense attacks, citizens often resort to using metro stations as safety zones, but this solution is not without its own challenges.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
