"Any mistake becomes a scandal": Sienkevych demands round-the-clock access to shelters in Mykolaiv

The mayor of Mykolaiv Oleksandr Sienkevych appealed to the heads of all city administrations and departments that have shelters on their balance sheets, demanding that they ensure round-the-clock and unobstructed access for people to the shelters.

Oleksandr Sienkevych said this during a staff meeting at city hall on Monday, June 15, 2026, according to PN.

The mayor emphasized that the aerial threat for Mykolaiv residents remains a daily reality. According to him, because of regular drone attacks all shelters must be open, and people should not encounter locked doors at the time of an air-raid alert.

Oleksandr Sienkevych addressed the emergency situations department and all entities responsible for shelters with a demand to check their accessibility.

“I repeat once again: the emergency situations department and, in general, everyone who has shelters on their balance — I ask you to check that they are open. You can see that drones arrive almost every night. We have people who try to get into shelters — they all must be open.”

Separately, the mayor urged officials to take into account the psychological state of residents. Mykolaiv has already been living under conditions of a full-scale war for more than four years, with constant alerts, night attacks, and people’s exhaustion.

According to Sienkevych, under such conditions any negligence by the responsible services can quickly escalate into a public conflict.

“People are all tired, everyone is on edge. So any mistake can become a scandal. We are living in such times now. Therefore every department and administration must understand that a bomb shelter must serve as a bomb shelter, not just be a nicely renovated object kept under lock.”

The issue of shelters’ accessibility in Mykolaiv has remained acute since the early years of the full-scale war. The city has repeatedly experienced complaints about closed shelters, poor condition of basement premises, lack of signage, or unclear access procedures during air-raid alerts.

This problem is especially acute after night attacks, when people have to quickly find a safe place. In such situations even a few minutes at closed doors can cost people their health or lives.

Earlier we wrote:

• The Mykolaiv police opened a case after teenagers were not allowed into shelters during a missile attack
• A bunker instead of offices: Mykolaiv officials will build shelters for themselves for 17 million
• Mykolaiv city hall gives its favorite contractor 10 million for shelters for officials
• “We will punish those scoundrels!”, Sienkevych reminded how to complain about a closed shelter
• Closed or terrible: the condition of protective shelters in the Korabelnyi district