Sirens Without End: Has the New Warning System Really Made Life Easier for Kharkiv Residents

Kharkiv is a city that has become a symbol of endurance and indomitability during the three years of war. But along with constant attacks, the city is forced to live under the endless wailing of sirens. Air alarms have become a common background in the life of Kharkiv residents, and their frequency has exceeded all possible limits – 2,113 times in just one year. However, only 455 of them actually related to Kharkiv itself. All others are a threat to the region, which has paralyzed the city, forcing people and businesses to stop working again and again. At the same time, they are forced not to hide in shelters, but to stand for hours at the closed doors of institutions.

The need for a differentiated notification system has been talked about for a long time, but its implementation has dragged on for years. Only on February 22, the mayor of the city Igor Terekhov stated, that Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine, where a separate system of air alarm signals was put into operation.

“Today in Kharkiv, a new, differentiated, air alarm notification system was launched. From now on, the signals are clearly separated: separately for the city and separately for the region.

We became the first in Ukraine to undertake the implementation of such a project. After all, they understood: the more precisely the threat is defined, the more efficiently the economy will work and, accordingly, the psycho-emotional burden on people will decrease.

Last year alone, 2,113 air-raid alarms sounded in Kharkiv – that’s 156 days of living under sirens. However, of these, only 455 signals (62 days) related directly to the city. Five times less!

This system is a step towards greater stability in all spheres of life. Businesses, banks, state institutions and the service sector will work longer, without unnecessary interruptions. And the main thing: if the signal sounds, everyone will know – the danger is real, and you need to go to the shelter immediately.

The implementation of the differentiated system became possible thanks to the months-long joint hard work of dozens of specialists: engineers, military air defense and RTV, DSNS, IT company Stfalcon and Ajax Systems, and representatives of other services. Each of them has made an important contribution to our security.

Today is yet another proof that we are not just living in war conditions, but are adapting, strengthening and moving forward.” – Igor Terekhov wrote in his Telegram channel.

The new alert system should help citizens to better understand when the threat is real, and businesses and government institutions to work more efficiently. However, instead of easing the situation, many residents of Kharkiv noticed only a new level of loud alerts, and at the time of the threat not only to the city, but also to the region. Even long before the official launch of the new system, the residents of the city continue to hear both the old alert and the new one with a loud voice accompaniment. That is, the sirens became even louder and more frequent.

In fact, people now live under almost constant sirens, even when there is no immediate threat. This caused a flurry of outrage on social networks. Here are just a few comments, which vividly reflect the general opinions of Kharkiv residents:

“Now the sirens are even louder, and this only makes it worse! We understand that it is a war, but it is simply impossible to live in constant fear.”

“I work in the city center. Sometimes the alarm sounds for the region, but we don’t know if it applies to us. Businesses were promised relief, but so far everything is the opposite.”

“People are already so tired, and now we’re just being killed by these sirens. It’s not helping, it’s just adding to the stress.”

“Yes, the result is noticeable, but why did they install a siren on a residential building, even with a voice message?!”.

“Nova Poshta” does not comply with the cancellation of air alarms in the city. All the same, branches remain closed until the alarm is lifted throughout Ukraine.”

“Thank you for the fact that we are not sleeping at all now, and the windows are not even open yet.”

“This siren is ultrasound, it is a pest that deafens. It must be abolished, it is only harmful to health.”

“The sadist turns on this nerve-wrecker at full volume at night. We haven’t slept for three years, and now there’s no rest at all for a minute.”

“The result is that people will soon go crazy from this alarm. Only complete freaks could set this up and abuse people like that, especially in the city center. The siren howls at the region, at the city, when it flies – nothing has changed. You will still answer for this abuse of people, and those who are disturbed by it were told to call and complain to the 1545 and 1562 service.”

“Everyone should be sued for the ruined health because of this month of hell they have arranged. I personally was promised to make it quieter, all the services I went to every day, or replace it with the old one. Nobody does anything and they continue to abuse people. Just bastards, there is no other word. And they will think about the issue of people’s mental health? We somehow lived under bombardment with the old siren for three years – and nothing. This, probably in order to finally finish off people. In no city did anyone change the alarm to such madness, only in Kharkiv.”

“A special “thank you” from the military after the concussions and from the parents of the children, who are now afraid to go outside, and from the owners of the animals, who became wildly scared. I think that this problem will soon be raised by Kharkiv journalists and everyone who is tired of it will have their say.”

“I’m also very interested in how the people in this house, where the siren is standing, and in the neighboring ones live. But I’m most worried about how my child will sleep with the window open.”

“The siren is near the 11th polyclinic, it is impossible to sleep within a radius of 2 km. It is especially “pleasant” when it goes off at 4 in the morning, when everyone has already been asleep for 5 hours.”

“I would like to know where to go about this. It turns out that we have survived here for three years, and now we will have to go to a remote village, because my daughter and I simply will not be able to sleep.”

“It bothers me too, so I will write here. Stara Saltivka, Ferganska Street. It used to be very good to hear the siren, but then they decided to install it on the neighboring nine-story building! Who even developed and approved these new standards? Are these people adequate? It is impossible to hear the interlocutor on the phone on the street. This some new kind of bullying of Kharkiv residents. We need to write a collective petition so that there are as many complaints as possible. It will be impossible to live here in the summer.”

“Until the end, I could not understand what was installed on the nearby 16th floor. I could not even imagine that people could be abused like that.”

“I’m also very interested in how people live in this house. I’m in the one next door — and I’m just in shock. But I’m most worried about how my child will sleep with the window open.”

“I would like to know where to go about this. It turns out that we have survived here for three years, and now we will have to go to a remote village, because my daughter and I simply will not be able to sleep.”

Although the city authorities and personally the mayor Ihor Terekhov claim that the new system works effectively, the question remains open: will it not turn into another factor of psychological pressure for Kharkiv residents? After all, the main purpose of any warning system is not only to signal danger, but also not to turn everyday life into an endless hum of sirens. And while the city is developing new technologies, the residents of Kharkiv are waiting not only for differentiated notifications, but also for a real improvement in the quality of life even in such difficult conditions.