As drones fly, doors are locked: residents of Mykolaiv don't know where to run

A resident of the center of Mykolaiv contacted the editorial office of Korabelov.info and reported basement rooms in the yard near the building at Spaska Street, 48, opposite the Flower Market that are inaccessible to people. However, this appeal concerns not only one yard: complaints about locked, neglected, or effectively unusable shelters are coming from various districts of the city.

According to the woman, there are 3 five-story buildings in the yard, whose residents do not have clear and unobstructed access to a safe space during air raid alerts. The basements are reportedly locked, and people are told they are unusable. Part of the premises, the author of the appeal claims, is occupied by businesses, others remain abandoned, but residents are not allowed to carry out repairs.

The resident asks the city authorities to pay attention not only to the situation in her yard but also to generally check the accessibility of shelters in the residential neighborhoods of Mykolaiv.

“It’s very scary right now; people have nowhere to run. There is either business or abandoned and locked [spaces]. Write about it in the news. Where should people run?”

In the list of places for sheltering the population, published as of 10 February 2022, a premises at Spaska Street, 50 was indicated. Its area was 97.5 square meters, and capacity — 115 people. It was intended for residents of the buildings at Spaska Street, 48, 50 and 52, as well as at Soborna Street, 2. However, the old list does not confirm that the shelter remains suitable and open today.

The complaint from Spaska Street once again highlights a citywide problem: it is not enough to simply mark a basement on a map or include it in a list. A person must know where the entrance is, who holds the keys, and whether the doors will open during a real attack.

During monitoring of shelters in Mykolaiv, the results of which were reported on 20 June 2026, specialists found increased humidity, unsatisfactory sanitary conditions, lack of ramps, absence of fire extinguishing equipment and information about responsible persons. Thus, the problems concern not only the center or a single address, but the system of civil protection organization in the city.

As early as 15 June 2026, the mayor Oleksandr Senkevych demanded that all administrations, departments and balance holders ensure round-the-clock access to shelters. He emphasized that a shelter should protect people, not remain a renovated object locked up.

But the problem has existed for more than a year. In August 2025, Korabelov.info wrote about teenagers in the Korabelnyi district who, during a Russian attack, could not get into a locked shelter and remained waiting for explosions out in the open.

Therefore, the city authorities need to do more than issue repeated demands and reports; they must carry out a real inspection of shelters at every address: establish their legal status, technical condition, balance holders, those responsible for access and the presence of round-the-clock open entrances. As long as the Russian army continues to attack Mykolaiv, locked doors during an alert can cost people their lives.

Earlier we wrote:

• Shelters for 500 people for 16.6 million: Mykolaiv Housing and Communal Services announced a tender
• Inspection of shelters in Mykolaiv: dampness and dirt, no ramps or fire extinguishers, signs without responsible persons
• “Any mistake becomes a scandal”: Senkevych demands round-the-clock access to shelters in Mykolaiv
• After the destroyed gymnasium there was not enough space for children: a lyceum in the Korabelnyi district received a new shelter
• “The most free places in shelters are in the Korabelnyi district,” — the Department of Education on Mykolaiv kindergartens