The government’s new strategy for the development of shelters, but there is still nowhere to hide: what is happening with bomb shelters in Ukraine

The fourth year of the war, thousands of missile attacks, a constant threat from the air — and the problem with bomb shelters in Ukraine still remains unresolved. Citizens continue to face closed shelters, as well as the lack of basic security conditions. After each massive attack, another wave of indignation emerges, officials promise changes, and we learn from the news about the billions that are allegedly directed to the development of defense infrastructure. On March 4, the government approved the Strategy for the Development of the Fund of Civil Defense Protective Structures until 2034, which provides for the allocation of UAH 789.3 billion for the construction of shelters. This sounds large-scale, but the question remains open: how many more years will it take for Ukrainians to have access to real, not virtual, protection? Will these billions not dissolve in the pockets of officials, as before?

Statistics and strategy from the government

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the Strategy for the Development of the Fund of Civil Defense Protective Structures for the period until 2034, which provides for the large-scale construction of shelters and spending in the amount of 789.3 billion hryvnias. In addition, Cabinet Order No. 183, published on March 4, approves not only the strategy, but also the operational plan for implementation measures in 2025-2027.

According to government data, as of December 2024, there are 62,655 objects of the fund of civil defense protective structures in Ukraine. However, of these, only 19,541 are full-fledged protective structures and dual-purpose structures, while 42,443 are the simplest shelters, such as basements or rooms without proper infrastructure. These shelters can protect only 48.8% of the country’s population, of which protective structures provide shelter for 17.5% and the simplest shelters for 31.3%. In addition, as of now, 54,167 (85.3 percent) objects of the fund of civil defense protective structures are ready for use, of which civil protection protective structures (12.4 percent) constitute the majority of unfinished objects, which actually reduces the number of objects that can be used to shelter the civilian population.

At the same time, the government recognizes that this is not enough and proposes to solve the problem in three stages: 2025-2027, 2028-2030 and 2031-2034. At the first stage, it is planned to build 2,300 new civil defense structures, to conduct an analysis of the possibility of using private cellars and basements for sheltering the population, as well as to create an international Coalition for the Development of Defense Structures. The total costs for the first stage are estimated at 151.1 billion hryvnias. For the implementation of the Strategy, it is planned to attract 642.5 billion hryvnias (14.69 billion euros) of international aid, and 81.2 billion hryvnias from the state budget. However, while this money exists only on paper, Ukrainians remain without basic protection.

According to the government, the main problem is not only the lack of buildings, but also their actual condition. According to official data, only 85.3% of shelters are ready for use, and the remaining 15% are in a state unsuitable for protecting the population. In fact, this means that a large part of the buildings either do not meet the standards or are not suitable for shelter at all. The government also recognizes that the low level of compliance of shelters with modern threats, the slow pace of development of underground spaces and the weak responsibility of building owners for the presence of protective structures are critical factors of the problem.

So, the government clearly outlined the reasons for the failure of previous programs. The creation of protective structures requires significant capital investments, and the pace of their construction does not correspond to real needs. Some of the shelters simply do not meet safety requirements, and urban planning legislation does not provide for proper control over their creation. The lack of responsibility of officials and building owners to provide shelter allows these issues to be ignored without consequences. In this regard, the Cabinet of Ministers instructed local authorities, regional and city administrations to submit annual reports on the implementation of the operational plan and monitor the use of budget funds.

The government also issued an order to the Ministry of Internal Affairs:

“Starting from 2027, once every three years, develop and submit by December 1 to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine a draft operational plan of measures to implement the Strategy for the corresponding period; to provide a report on the status of Strategy implementation to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine every year by April 1; ensure submission by May 1, 2035. To the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, a report on the state of implementation of the Strategy and proposals for further work”.

The current situation with shelters

The fourth year of the war… According to the government’s strategy, almost 60,000 shellings with the use of artillery, mortar ammunition, rockets and other means of destruction were recorded in Ukraine only during 2024. At the same time, the key features of modern weapons used by the Russian Federation are their destructive power, which is increasing more and more. And shelter? It turns out that they are not enough even for half of the country’s population. According to official government data, 48.8% of citizens are provided with protection. And what should the remaining 52% of Ukrainians do? Wait for the danger to pass by itself? Hide in improvised shelters or just hope for a miracle?

But even these numbers raise serious doubts, because the “readiness” of 85.3% of shelters indicated by the government actually means a much smaller number of them and basements with fungus, closed by metal doors with the words “the key to the head of the condominium or ZHEK” and dark rooms without ventilation and basic living conditions. Videos with just such shelters flooded social networks. However, every year we hear the same thing: “The problem is solved!”. But in reality, people run into closed doors again and again during the danger alerts and the shelling itself.

Ukrainians are periodically informed that shelters are being actively built, and the government has approved a large-scale Strategy for the Development of the Fund of Protective Structures for the period until 2034, again allocating considerable money – 789.3 billion hryvnias. The only question is: where are these bomb shelters? Why, despite the previously allocated billions, are people still hiding in entrances, parking lots or simply in the corridors of their apartments? Is it possible that these “structures” exist only in financial statements, where the numbers grow faster than the shelters themselves?

In addition, the problem is not only in unfinished storage facilities, but also in existing ones. Some of the shelters are located in the basements of residential buildings, but it is impossible to get there due to the banal human desire to preserve one’s property. Condominiums and residents close the entrances because expensive equipment is located there – household meters, pipes, cables. The logic is simple: if you open a shelter, homeless women can spend the night there or steal something. But why can’t the government fix it? Establishing controlled access during alarms is not launching a spaceship!

However, this is only part of the problem. The key reasons are the complete lack of control and impunity of the officials who take advantage of the chaos during the war. The government itself admitted in its strategy that the previous programs had failed. But the question is: who was responsible for this? Why is the civil protection system still not working effectively? Where are the dismissals, investigations, criminal cases? What has been done in four years so that in 2025 Ukrainians do not stand under fire in front of closed shelters? Absolutely nothing! Unfortunately, the lack of accountability allows officials to ignore security issues without consequence. This is a classic scheme: “Approve the program, allocate billions, write a report, and let the problem remain.” Here is a vivid picture of the attitude towards one’s people during the protracted war!

Maybe the government is really going to solve the problem? She even outlined three stages of strategy implementation: 2025–2027, 2028–2030, 2031–2034. But if people now have nowhere to hide, what will the situation be like? This multi-year plan looks like another time delay. The government creates the illusion of active work, and while the years pass, millions of Ukrainians, including children, risk their lives every day.

The 789 billion strategy is just a plan that can remain another document without real implementation. Real protection is not in strategies on paper, but in real actions. Despite the allocation of billions of sums from the state budget, the problem of shelters is not solved. The authorities must finally understand that security is not about numbers in reports, but about the doors of shelters that open in time in times of alarm. These are bomb shelters that have water, ventilation and conditions for people. This is strict control and responsibility for the use of budget funds, not their regular “development”. And while new protective structures are being built on paper, Ukrainians continue to sit in corridors and bathrooms, because at least you can go there without the permission of another bureaucrat.