Lysak accused Odessa’s public utility workers of hindering the construction of shelters

Serhiy Lysak, head of the Odesa City Military Administration, stated that the city has fulfilled its commitment to put new shelters into operation.

According to the head of the Military Administration, the city government had committed to putting 20 shelters into operation by the end of June. However, as of today, only half of the declared number—10 shelters—have been completed. 

In addition, back in March, 100 million hryvnias were allocated from the city budget to various agencies for the installation and equipping of another 20 shelters, but as of today, work is underway on only 10 of them.

“The worst part is that the process is being held up by the very entity responsible for this area—the ‘Protective Structures’ Municipal Enterprise. This is unacceptable. I expect the city council to make the necessary decisions,” said Serhiy Lysak.

 Recently, Odessa’s acting mayor, Ihor Koval, appointed Oleksandr Kozubenko to temporarily serve as director of the municipal agency “Civil Defense Structures.”

In March, during a staff meeting, Acting Deputy MayorVolodymyr Krylenko reported that the number of shelters in Odesa does not meet regulatory requirements—the overall coverage rate stands at 62.9%. 

Earlier,the Center for Public Investigationslooked into the actual state of shelters in Odesa, who is responsible for determining the need for them, and why, even in the fourth year of the war, the city still lacks a clear system. It turned out that of the 3,696 shelters needed and 124 mobile shelters, the city has only 1,189 facilities—an issue that has remained unresolved for nearly four years of full-scale invasion. In June 2025, the executive committee determined that the city needed 3,696 shelters and 124 mobile shelters.

Кирило Бойко