Queues and Crowds: Why Ukrainian Border Crossings Have No Air Raid Shelters

Travelling through a Ukrainian border crossing during wartime can mean standing in long queues for hours — but those people waiting have nowhere to shelter if an air raid alarm sounds. An investigation by Ukrainska Pravda documents the absence of air raid shelters at multiple border crossing points, raising serious questions about civilian safety.

People Left Exposed

Reporters found that people crossing the Ukrainian-Polish border — and other border crossings — are forced to wait in open areas with no access to protective structures. In one exchange at the crossing, a bus driver reportedly told travellers asking about shelter: "Sunshine, what shelter? You can run into the forest and hide." The comment illustrates the lack of organised protection.

Under Ukrainian law, public spaces and facilities where people gather are required to have access to shelter. However, border crossing points appear to fall through a gap in implementation, with responsibility disputed between the State Border Guard Service and other authorities.

Systemic Gap in Protection

The investigation found no completed shelters at surveyed crossing points. Officials cited bureaucratic hurdles and divided responsibility as reasons for the failure to construct or designate shelters at locations that receive high volumes of people daily. Advocates for civil protection have called for urgent action to address the gap before it results in casualties.