Kyiv has 425 “special shelters” ready in case of Russian nuclear attack

Kyiv’s regional head of military said that the northern Ukrainian territory has prepared several hundred “special warehouses” in preparation for a potential nuclear attack from Russia.

Oleksiy Kuleba, head of Kyiv’s regional military administration, said in an interview published Tuesday by the Ukrainian broadcasting channel Hromadske that the Ukrainian government was preparing for a “worst case scenario” as tensions continue to rise in the Russia-Ukraine war.

“The last eight months have taught us that anything can happen,” Kuleba said, according to the report. “As an official, I am preparing for the worst case scenario, but I hope that everything will be fine.”

Kuleba told the outlet that Kyiv’s military has prepared 425 underground “special warehouses” throughout the region. The military official added that there were thousands of shelters throughout the region already, but noted that they were “not suitable for protection against the radiation threat.”

“It is clear that first of all, a person should go to shelter,” Kuleba continued when speaking on how citizens should prepare for a nuclear attack. “The second step, the most important, should be communication. If there is a nuclear attack, then, most likely, there will be no communication. The only thing that will work is the radio. Therefore, portable radios with batteries should be equipped everywhere so that the signal can be received.”

Kyiv’s military administration is also preparing for larger energy blackouts throughout the region as Russian shelling continues to target energy and water infrastructure throughout Ukraine. Vitali Klitschko, mayor of the city of Kyiv, reported on Monday that 350,000 apartments were without electricity after a series of Russian missile attacks.

Kuleba said that a total power outage of up to two weeks was possible if the military “cannot preserve” the infrastructure as Russia’s attacks continue, according to Hromadske. He added that Ukrainian officials were preparing for the winter months as power outages could lead to areas without heat for prolonged periods of time.

“For such a case, there are 750 stationary heating points in the Kyiv region,” Kuleba said, according to the news outlet. “These points are equipped with appropriate generators, there is food, certain water supplies. That is, these are shelters that will allow you to be warm and safe.”

Kuleba also said that Ukraine’s emergency services established mobile heat points throughout the region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address on Tuesday that officials were doing “everything” they could to make sure citizens had electricity and heat this winter.

“But we must understand that Russia will do everything to destroy the normality of life,” Zelensky added.

Zelensky also encouraged his citizens by saying that Ukraine will survive the cold winter months as Russia continued what he called “energy terror.”

“They are hopeless on the battlefield,” Zelensky said. “Ukrainian warriors have already proved it. But it takes time, it takes effort, it takes patience to prove that even the hope for winter will not come true for Russian terrorists. I’m sure we’ll get through it.”

Newsweek reached out to Zelensky’s office for comment on Kyiv’s nuclear shelters.