A full-scale war has been going on in Ukraine for the fourth year. Every day, rockets and drones attack cities, sirens sound, and civilians die. And while the army defends the country at the front, the wounds of irresponsibility remain open in the rear. One of the most painful of them has become shelters – places that should save lives, but often turn into closed concrete traps. In many cities of Ukraine, bomb shelters are still either non-functioning or locked, which threatens the lives of civilians, including children.
Shelter in Mykolaiv was unavailable during the shelling
On the night of August 2-3 in Mykolaiv, teenagers could not escape from a rocket attack, because the door to the shelter in the residential area was closed. This was reported by the police of the Mykolayiv region in Facebook. Explosions from Russian X-22 missiles rang out after the announcement of an air alert. As a result, seven people were injured, three private houses were destroyed, and dozens of others were damaged, including apartment buildings, a store and a post office.
The incident became known thanks to publications on social networks, which were noticed by Mykolaiv law enforcement officers. In the statement of the regional police, it is said that during the monitoring of social networks, a message was discovered that during the rocket attack at night, a group of teenagers could not get into the shelter – the shelter was closed.
The police checked this information and confirmed its authenticity. It is specified that it is a shelter in one of the residential areas of the regional center. Police investigators No. 3 of the Mykolaiv district administration opened criminal proceedings under the article on leaving in danger (Article 135 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The sanction of this article provides for punishment in the form of restriction of liberty or deprivation of liberty for a term of up to two years.
A pre-trial investigation is currently underway. The police conduct the necessary investigative actions, identify the responsible persons and study the circumstances under which the shelter was unavailable at the time of the threat. And although we are talking about criminal proceedings, the essence of the problem goes far beyond the boundaries of a separate district or case. This is a systemic issue affecting thousands of shelters across the country.
Law enforcement officers stressed that every citizen who discovers a closed shelter or deficiencies in its arrangement should immediately report it by calling 102 or contact the nearest police station. Each such message is promised to be carefully checked, and in case of confirmation of violations, the culprits will be prosecuted.
This call was made against the background of tragic confirmation that disregarding the rules and indifference to safety can turn into deadly consequences. Especially for children who have neither legal protection nor adult responsibility.
Against the background of this event, another story spread, the opposite in emotional tone, but just as eloquent. In Odesa, a cat led the whole family to shelter during an air raid. The pet, it turns out, is better adapted to the new reality than the utilities responsible for people’s lives. Such irony is not a reason to smile, but a bitter symbol of dysfunction.
Scale of the problem: systemic negligence or indifference
The story from Mykolaiv is far from the first and, unfortunately, not the last. In Kyiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Lviv, and Vinnytsia, there are regular reports of closed or inaccessible shelters. In the capital, after the tragedy near the closed shelter, when three people died, including a 9-year-old girl, a wave of inspections rose again, but its effect was temporary. In many cities, there is still no mechanism for operational opening of storage facilities, and the responsibility for their condition is blurred between different structures.
Meanwhile, the danger does not disappear. And while the children are trying to run to the warehouse, which is closed, the rocket is already hitting the residential area.
People who have to deal with the daily risk of death from shelling are increasingly choosing to ignore the air raid warning. Reasons range from psychological exhaustion to the realization that the nearest shelter is either unavailable or unfit to stay. It often serves as a warehouse, a basement with boarded-up windows, or simply locked, as in Mykolaiv.
This state of affairs creates an environment of total mistrust of institutions. When children are forced to seek shelter in a doorway or under a bench, instead of in a specially arranged shelter, it is not just negligence, it is a social crime.
The story of Mykolaiv teenagers is another alarming signal for the state, local authorities, communities and everyone who is responsible for the protection of the civilian population. In a country in its fourth year under fire, the lack of affordable shelter is criminal negligence for which no one is held accountable. At the same time, the state allocates considerable funds for the construction of shelters, but where they disappear remains a rhetorical question.
