Shelters to be set up in Moscow region’s apartment blocks, malls

Moscow region authorities will organise shelters in apartment blocks and malls in the region, regional official Sergey Poletykin said at a Moscow Region Duma (parliament) meeting.

Duma member Oleg Yemelyanov asked Poletykin about the state of bomb shelters in the Ramenskoye district. According to him, some of them are in a “catastrophic state”.

“Shelters in apartment blocks […] [in light of] the events that are happening now in Ukraine […] they ensure safety of people against missile, bomb, and artillery strikes. This work is overseen by the housing and utility services, it should be done by 25 December. This is a decision made by the emergency response centre,” Poletykin replied.

According to him, shelters in shopping centres and high-rise apartment buildings provide safety for up to 15 million people. He also said that the authorities decided against hanging street signs with shelter addresses and directions “to avoid rousing people”.

The authorities vow to fit in plugs in shelters and supply them with light, water, and places to sit. The shelters will be designed to stay there for no more than 60 minutes.

In November, signs pointing to the nearest shelters were placed on more than 3,000 buildings in Novokuznetsk. The shelters are mainly placed in basements of apartment blocks.

Moreover, Deputy Mayor of Belgorod Valentin Demidov promised to publish an interactive shelter map and hang signs around the city, indicating the nearest shelters.