More than 62,000 defence structures function in Ukraine, before full-scale invasion there were about 20,000 - Interior Ministry
There are currently more than 62,000 protective structures in Ukraine, which is significantly more than before the full-scale invasion, when their number was about 20,000.
This was announced by Viktor Vitovetskyi, Director of the Department for Organisation of Civil Protection Measures of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, during the National Telethon "United News", Censor.NET reports.
"At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, we had about 20,000 protective structures. As of today, there are already more than 62,000 registered," he said.
Changes in the number and quality of protective structures were made possible by the initiatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Emergency Service, as well as cooperation with the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Ministry of Defence. Vitovetskyi noted that the technical requirements for shelters have also been updated, in particular, the ability to withstand high shock wave pressure of up to 100 kilo Pascals, which is relevant due to the use of modern weapons.
"This is quite a lot of pressure, but it is due to the use of modern weapons that Russia is constantly using against Ukrainian citizens," he said.
Vitovetskyi also stressed that the requirements for the height of protective structures have changed: while the standard used to be 1.9 metres, the minimum height now is 2.5 metres. This meets modern safety requirements.
Another important topic is the modernisation of the system of centralised alerts to citizens about threats. Vitovetskyi said that the national alert system has already been reconstructed, and the process of updating regional and local systems is underway.
Earlier, the Ministry of Internal Affairs noted that the level of security in the country, excluding military risks, remains at the pre-war level.
