Ukrainians turn to Cold War infrastructure while preparing for a potential Russian invasion.
Kyiv city officials on December 20 gave journalists a tour of bomb shelters made during the Cold War that have been prepped for a new potential threat: a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Airtight doors in an underground bomb shelter in Kyiv.
Fears of war have been swirling since late November when Russian armor was seen massing near the border with Ukraine. Some analysts believe an invasion is possible within weeks. Others say the ominous military buildup is no more than saber-rattling designed to win concessions from the West.
A city official shows journalists through a shelter in the Dniprovskiy region of eastern Kyiv.
A bomb shelter RFE/RL visited in Kyiv’s eastern Dniprovskiy region fits 350 people and is designed for workers in the suburb. A city official says the shelter has everything needed for survival, including water tanks, bathrooms, and a ventilation system.
Water tanks in the Dniprovskiy bomb shelter.
The Dniprovskiy shelter was built in the 1980s when the United Statess and the Soviet Union had nuclear weapons aimed at each other’s cities. Now, city officials are working on making sure as many of the spaces are available for use as possible for a potential hot war with Russia.
A man demonstrates a ventilation system, which can be cranked to life like an old car.
There are about 500 specialist facilities like the Dniprovskiy shelter in Kyiv. All are built nearly identically and designed to shelter municipal workers.
Signage and gas masks at the entrance to a bunker designed for residents of apartments in eastern Kyiv.
Another bunker that journalists were shown on December 20 is designed for short-term stays of civilians during bombing or missile strikes. Decades-old signage at the entrance instructs people on how to decontaminate, apparently after a nuclear or chemical attack.
The entrance to a dual-use bomb shelter in Kyiv. The door has the word “shelter” stenciled onto it and the phone number of the person who holds the key.
As well as specialized bomb shelters, Kyiv also has some 6,000 “dual-use” basements that can be used in the event of an attack on the city.
Inside one of Kyiv’s dual-use underground spaces that double as bomb shelters.
Such dual-use shelters are mostly padlocked shut. However, city officials have claimed they will be opened to the public within 15 minutes in the event of an emergency.
An arrow pointing to a nearby shelter.
Stenciled directions to underground shelters became commonplace in Kyiv after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. According to city officials, such spaces are now frequently checked for suitability in case of war.
A station in Kyiv’s subway system.
Other more obvious spaces suitable for taking shelter include the city’s extensive subway system and highway underpasses. Kyiv’s city authorities have posted a map showing the thousands of sites residents can shelter in if the worst-case scenario occurs.