Closed shelters found in Kherson during shelling

In Kherson, we checked the availability of shelters for civilians during the hostilities. Most of them were closed or restricted in access.

This was reported by the press service of the Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine.

It turned out that dozens of Kherson residents complained on social media about the shelter, which is supposed to protect people from shelling and drone attacks, but remained closed for a long time. According to the Ombudsman of Ukraine Dmytro Lubinets, the premises are located in a densely populated part of the city, which is very close to the front, and its closed state endangers people's lives.

Vasyl Donets, representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in Kherson region, together with his team checked the condition of the shelter. During the monitoring, a number of serious violations were recorded: entry is possible only through the entrance with an intercom, and the internal doors are equipped with an electronic lock that works only after an alarm, while attacks often begin earlier.

The backup generator provided by the state for the shelter was stored in the office of the head of the condominium and was inaccessible, there were no ramps for people with limited mobility, and one of the evacuation exits was closed.

The shelter should be open around the clock, without restrictions, and every citizen should have access to basic means of protection," said Dmytro Lubinets.

He added that in 2025, the Ombudsman's Office conducted 1066 visits to civil protection facilities throughout Ukraine, including 15 to Kherson shelters. Most of them were closed or restricted in access during the inspections.

Based on the inspection results, the Ombudsman provided urgent recommendations to Kherson MVA: to remove electronic barriers, provide round-the-clock access, return the generator and equip entrances for people with limited mobility. He also recommended that the police be contacted under Articles 135 and 367 of the Criminal Code, as deliberate blocking of the shelter during shelling poses a direct risk to people's lives.

Such an attitude to the basic means of protecting civilians in a city on the front line is unacceptable. Each inspection confirms once again that the shelter should be open every day and for everyone," Lubinets summarized.

Despite the fact that in 2025, three schools were officially completed and opened in Kherson region, children are still forced to study remotely. More than UAH 200 million of budget funds were allocated for the construction of these facilities, but none of the institutions are actually functioning today.

Last year, the Kherson authorities spent more than half a billion hryvnias on repairing shelters, but most of them are either closed or unusable. Contracts were awarded to companies with no construction experience and no resources, and with ties to Kherson MVA officials.

Анна Бальчінос