Documents cannot be demanded and people cannot be expelled over pets: Lubinets reminds Ukrainians who has right to use shelters during air-raid alerts
More than 56,000 people spent last night in the Kyiv metro, sheltering from another massive Russian attack. Yet even during missile strikes, Ukrainians continue to encounter situations in which shelter doors remain closed to them. People are denied entry because they do not have identification documents, are not registered at the "right" address, or even because they have pets with them.
As reported by Censor.NET, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets drew attention to the issue.
According to him, such cases are unacceptable, and any attempt to restrict access to a shelter during an air-raid alert is contrary to the law.
"A person cannot be denied entry to a shelter while missiles and drones are flying overhead," the ombudsman stressed.
Lubinets emphasised that those responsible for operating shelters have no right to demand identification documents, check a person’s registered address or justify a refusal by claiming that the shelter is intended "only for residents" of the building.
He separately drew attention to the problem faced by people with pets.
"People with pets cannot be expelled. There is no legal prohibition on staying in a shelter with pets," he said.
If a person is denied access to a shelter during an air-raid alert, the ombudsman urged them to contact the National Police immediately.
According to Lubinets, the problem ceased to be isolated long ago. Despite four years of full-scale war, access to shelters remains one of the most pressing issues.
The problem is particularly acute ahead of the new autumn and winter period, when Russia, according to forecasts, may once again intensify massive attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure.
The Ombudsman’s Office also presented the findings of extensive inspections of protective structures. They show that systemic problems persist almost everywhere.
According to monitoring visits, 93% of the inspected shelters had various deficiencies. Another 80 facilities were not operational at all, although they were marked as available in the Diia app. Following the inspections, officials received 3,996 recommendations on remedying the violations.
In 2026 alone, employees of the Ombudsman’s Office have already conducted 775 monitoring visits, after which they issued another 2,863 recommendations that must be implemented.
In this regard, Dmytro Lubinets called on central and local authorities to urgently address systemic problems with protective structures. This involves not only constructing new shelters but also modernising existing ones, maintaining them properly, ensuring barrier-free access for people with limited mobility and exercising genuine oversight of shelter readiness.
At the same time, the ombudsman stressed that officials must be held accountable for decisions or inaction that could endanger people’s lives.
"The most frightening thing I hear from people is: ‘There is simply nowhere nearby to go.’ The risks outside and locked doors frighten people more than staying in their own apartments, so they choose to remain at home at their own risk," Lubinets said.
He emphasised that in a country that has lived under constant Russian attacks for more than four years, people should not have to choose between the fear of failing to reach a shelter in time and the fear of remaining at home. According to the ombudsman, the state is obliged to provide everyone with genuine, accessible and safe protection near their place of residence.
- As a reminder, Censor.NET previously reported that tens of thousands of Kyiv residents spent the night in shelters, including stations of the capital’s metro system, during another massive Russian attack.
