Klitschko's promise of 50 mobile shelters for Kyiv set to fall far short

Kiev City Mayor Vitali Klitschko had promised to provide the capital with 40 to 50 mobile shelters within a month in September, but the delivery is falling short. As of October 6, only 14 such shelters were expected to arrive by year-end. Klitschko had previously stated that the first batch of around 40 or 50 units would be set up at transport stops lacking stationary shelters.

However, the Kyiv City State Administration revealed that the actual number would be far fewer, with the delivery taking much longer. Currently, only four mobile shelters operate in the city, all privately owned. The Kyiv municipal transport company Kyivpastrans is supposed to purchase the 14 mobile shelters after its new financial plan is approved.

These new shelters would be placed at Kyivpastrans branches and at the final stops of public transport lines, with an estimated total cost of around 54.2 million Hryvnias (approximately $1.2 million), including VAT. A single shelter for 50 people costs about 4.8 million Hryvnias (around $107,000). The city's budget for public safety and civil protection for 2027 to 2029 is a meager Hr 300 million.

District administrations, not directly accountable to the mayor, are responsible for constructing and repairing shelters, but many lack readiness for protective purposes. The city's civil-protection shelter network, as reported by KMDA, includes 4,385 facilities, with nearly nine out of ten classified as basic shelters, not considered protective structures.