The air raid alarms
The sound Ukrainians have endured for the last years
A constant sound since February 24, 2022, has been the wail of air raid sirens, warning of incoming Iranian “Shahed” drones and ballistic missiles. You get used to it over time, but it remains deeply unsettling. In addition to the sirens, there are several Telegram groups that send out notifications during each alert, specifying what kind of threat it is, which regions are targeted, and where the drones are headed. There’s also a website, alerts.in.ua, which features an interactive map showing, in real time, the regions under alert, along with other statistics—such as the total hours spent under warning in a given period. For example, in the Chernihiv region where I live, the past month alone has seen 7 full days and 17 additional hours spent under air raid alerts.
What do these alarms mean?
Days without alarms are rare, but what exactly changes during these periods? Telegram groups always advise people to take shelter until the alert ends, but in small and medium-sized towns there are no real shelters like in Kyiv, where metro stations serve this purpose. In towns like the one where I live, the risk is still much lower—despite the lack of proper air raid shelters—compared to Kyiv and other large cities, which are the primary targets of attacks. Strikes hit both military and civilian infrastructure.
As already mentioned, in Kyiv the main shelters are the metro stations, spread throughout the city, some shallow and others very deep. Arsenalna station is the deepest in the world, at 105.5 meters below ground. Other shelters can be found in the basements of hotels, schools, shopping centers, and other buildings. If no proper place is available, it is advised to stay at home, away from windows, with at least two walls separating you from the outside.
Air raid alarms have become part of everyday life for Ukrainians, so much so that many ignore them and don’t go to shelters or indoors. Through Telegram groups, people can also learn whether the threat is a ballistic missile or something less dangerous, like a reconnaissance drone. In the latter case, very few choose to take cover. Many alarms even start when Russian planes take off, before it’s clear whether they will launch missiles.
Even my wife and I sometimes ignore the alerts when we go to Kyiv. On the day the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital was attacked, we were just one district away. When the air defenses and then missiles exploded, we felt the windows of nearby buildings shake and, together with other panicked people, we ran to the nearest metro station—a 15-minute walk—where we spent the rest of the afternoon as more alarms followed.
Since the Chernihiv region was liberated, we no longer go down into the small cellar where we spent many hours in February and March of 2022. Now it’s simply a room used to store potatoes and preserves.
Below are two sample maps from the site alerts.in.ua.
In the first map, the red zones show the regions under threat of an air raid at that specific moment. The shade of the color indicates how long the alarm has been active: lighter colors mean the alert is more recent. The Luhansk region is the darkest, as its alert has been ongoing continuously for more than 900 days.
The second map shows the total time spent under alerts across all Ukrainian regions. In the Chernihiv region, where I live, there have been 79 days and 11 hours under alarms.
Restrictions during the alarms
What exactly changes during an air raid alert, aside from the danger itself and the advice to head to the nearest shelter?
First of all, public spaces such as shopping centers, restaurants, cinemas, and other entertainment venues are closed and evacuated. So if someone is watching a movie at the cinema or having lunch at a restaurant, they’re forced to leave without finishing what they were doing.
Some public transport services come to a halt. Banks, post offices, and other public services suspend their activities until the danger has passed. The same goes for private businesses and schools, where children are taken to shelters, usually in the basements of the school.
All of this, besides causing disruption to individuals, also harms the country’s economy. Despite this, many shops and post offices remain open during alerts, especially in small and medium-sized towns, since long periods of closure are unsustainable for many businesses.
The importance of supporting Ukraine
The need to provide military support to Ukraine—both for defensive and offensive purposes, since the Russian invader will never willingly leave the occupied territories—cannot be underestimated. Every air defense system represents a life that can be saved and an attack that can be prevented. Delivering weapons and defense systems, especially against aerial threats such as drones and ballistic missiles, helps protect civilians and critical infrastructure.
Moreover, providing military support to Ukraine is crucial not only for the country’s own security but also for the stability of Europe and the defense of the principles of sovereignty and freedom. Every contribution helps strengthen the Ukrainian people’s resistance against unjustified aggression.