Air raid alerts in Ukraine will change: "yellow" — for drones, "red" — for rockets and ballistic missiles

In Ukraine, serious changes are being prepared in the air-raid warning system due to the new tactics of Russian attacks. Instead of a single signal for different types of danger, it is planned to introduce two threat levels – yellow and red, change the sound of sirens and more precisely determine the territories where danger actually exists. About this on September 2, 2026 reported the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky after a briefing by Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi.

The President named the change in Russian strike tactics as the reason for revising the rules, in particular the use of large numbers of drones for prolonged exhaustion of civilian life and the economic activity of Ukrainian cities.

As a baseline, the yellow level is planned to be announced during enemy drone raids. The red level is provided in case of missile danger, including the threat of ballistic missile use, as well as during massed attacks. Final criteria will not be fixed. The General Staff and the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, together with the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Defense, the Interior Ministry and the State Emergency Service must weekly determine which threat indicators will correspond to the yellow or red level. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, explaining the future system, emphasized that people must immediately understand the nature of the danger and the required response.

“Alerting systems about an existing threat will be updated. People must understand absolutely clearly what exactly and how exactly they need to react. Two levels of designating a specific threat will be introduced – yellow and red levels,” – the President of Ukraine.

Along with the threat levels, they plan to change the sound signals of the air-raid alarm. Different, clearer signals are to be developed for the yellow and red levels so that people can determine the scale of danger by sound. One change has already been implemented: the repeated sounding of the siren to indicate the all-clear has been canceled. According to the President, the siren is now triggered only at the announcement of the start of an alarm. Information about the all-clear is delivered via other alert channels.

Another significant change is geographical differentiation of alerts. Authorities must develop a system under which an alert will be announced not over an overly large territory, but precisely where an objective threat exists. This should reduce situations when, because of a drone or another aerial target in one district, the work of institutions, enterprises and transport is halted far from the real danger.

According to Volodymyr Zelensky, the main goal of the changes is to make the response of people and business to threats more predictable.

“The main goal of these changes is to give people and businesses in Ukraine more predictability and understanding of how to react in each specific case. I also ordered to work out clearer geographical differentiation of alerts so that announcements and responses take place precisely in those parts of the locality where an objective threat exists,” – Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Cabinet of Ministers, local authorities, the military, the Interior Ministry and the State Emergency Service must define clear criteria under which, during the yellow level, state institutions, local self-government bodies, businesses and certain economic and social facilities may continue to operate. At the same time, a review of standards regarding the location of shelters in cities, communities and at infrastructure facilities is planned. Special attention should be paid to mobile and modular shelters. The government should also prepare additional support mechanisms for businesses so that enterprises can more quickly install modular shelters and refit premises according to the new security requirements. A separate block of decisions concerns Kyiv. During the yellow level of air threat the Syretsko-Pecherska metro line should operate fully. The capital has also been instructed to significantly increase the number of surface public transport vehicles. They should compensate for stops on the Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska metro line during alerts and duplicate the route between the stations “Lisova” and “Dnipro”.

In Kyiv they also plan to shorten the duration of the curfew. At the same time, the leadership of other cities in Ukraine will be offered to reconsider its boundaries taking into account the real security situation and the needs of business. Thus, this possibility will also concern Mykolaiv, however, there has been no specific announcement about changing the curfew in the city so far. As of the latest official police reminders, in Mykolaiv the curfew is in effect from 00:00 to 05:00.

The new system does not yet provide for relaxations for educational institutions. Schools and kindergartens will continue to operate under the current safety rules during air-raid alerts. Separately, the Cabinet of Ministers must provide additional financial support for medical institutions to maintain stable operation of state and municipal healthcare. In addition, the authorities are moving to a weekly audit of response algorithms to air threats. The audit will involve the government, local authorities, the military and security structures, state companies and business representatives.

Importantly, Volodymyr Zelensky has so far announced the preparation and introduction of the new system. The announcement did not specify a concrete date when the yellow and red levels and the new siren sounds will simultaneously come into effect across all of Ukraine.

Earlier we wrote:

• “Shahed” and “Banderol” struck Mykolaiv: the enemy attacked a port, energy facilities and a food enterprise
• A third of the “Shaheds” were rocket-propelled: details of the August 27 attack
• Teenagers without adults, alcohol and curfew: evening patrols strengthened in Mykolaiv
• “Any mistake becomes a scandal”: Senkevych demands round-the-clock access to shelters in Mykolaiv
• Curfew: night blackout rules changed again in Mykolaiv region