In the fourth year of the war, Kyiv residents have found themselves hostage to the illusion of safety in their own homes. According to official data from the Kyiv City State Administration, there are over four thousand shelters in the capital, which are supposedly capable of accommodating the entire population. However, journalistic investigations and analysis of court cases show a completely different picture: most of the premises are abandoned, private, or unsuitable for real protection during ballistic attacks.
The situation is particularly critical on the left bank of Kyiv, where even metro stations are designated as "simple shelters" due to their shallow depth. According to research, only a little over fifty thousand people can take shelter in publicly accessible civil defense structures, which is only one and a half percent of the city's population. The rest are forced to rely on the basements of panel houses, which often cannot withstand the destruction of buildings.
The corruption aspect of the situation is no less striking. Over two and a half billion hryvnias have been spent on the repair and construction of storage facilities in recent years, but most of the tenders were won by one-day firms with minimal authorized capital. Systematic overpayments for building materials and the purchase of unnecessary equipment, such as drums and vegetable cutters at exorbitant prices, indicate deep corruption at all levels.
Access to information about the true state of the shelters is limited: four out of ten district administrations refuse to provide data, arguing that it is an official secret. This creates an illusion of security that is shattered during the first serious attack. Even large-scale tenders and funds will not save the lives of Kyiv residents if the organization is backed by network money laundering and the impunity of officials.
The tragedies of recent years, when dozens of people, including children, died in missile strikes, demonstrate the price of this paper security. A system in which loyalty to the leaders is more important than the lives of children is incapable of providing real protection. Without a radical purge of corruption and real punishment for the organizers of the schemes, the security of Kyiv will remain a privilege for the chosen few.
