What to do during an air raid
If you hear a siren or receive a RED alert, head to a shelter within minutes. If no shelter is reachable, apply the rule of two walls.
TL;DR
- ▸Get to the nearest shelter within minutes. If you can't, put two walls between you and the outside, away from windows.
- ▸Trust only official channels: LT72, LT-Alert SMS, LRT. Emergency number — 112, civil-safety consultations — 1856.
- ▸Prepare in advance: install the LT72 app, pack a 72 h go-bag, agree a family meeting point. Never approach a drone or debris — back away and call 112.
First 30–60 seconds
— what to do immediately- 1
Don't panic
Stop. Breathe. Don't run on the street without purpose and don't start driving across town if you're already somewhere safe.
- 2
Find shelter
Open the LT72 app — the map works offline once cached. Best: marked shelter, underground garage, basement, tunnel, pedestrian underpass.
- 3
Grab essentials
ID, phone + power bank, water, medication, your go-bag if it's by the door.
- 4
Two walls
If no shelter is reachable, go to an interior room (corridor, bathroom, stairwell). Put two solid walls between you and the outside.
- 5
SMS, not calls
Warn family by text. Voice networks congest first during an alert — leave them free for emergency services.
- 6
Tune in to LRT / LT72
After the "Attention all" siren, a voice message names the threat within 3 min. Stay sheltered until WHITE — "no air danger".
Rule of two walls
Two solid interior walls between you and the outside. Away from windows, balconies, glass.
Important
The two-walls rule is the fallback when a real shelter is out of reach.
Ukraine's DSNS (after 3 years of experience) warns: against direct hits by drones or ballistic missiles, two walls may not be enough — an underground space (basement, garage, tunnel) is materially safer. Depth beats walls.
Where to shelter — priorities
- 1 Designated shelterYellow "person under a roof" sign. Find them in the LT72 app.
- 2 Underground garage, tunnel, underpass, basementThick overhead, few windows.
- 3 Interior rooms of solid concrete buildingsAway from windows and external walls.
- 4 Ditch, ravine, depression in the groundIf caught outside with nothing better nearby.
Note: the blue-triangle collective protection buildings are for temporary accommodation after evacuation — not for short-term protection during an attack. For that, use yellow-marked shelters.
Where are you?
At home
- ✓ Move to the basement or an interior room without a window.
- ✓ Close blinds/curtains — they reduce flying-glass risk.
- ✓ If you have time — turn off gas, hob, high-power appliances.
- ✗ Stay away from windows, balconies, glass.
Outdoors / street
- ✓ Get to the nearest basement, tunnel, underpass, ditch.
- ✓ Walk into a shop or office — they are required to let you in.
- ✗ Avoid open squares, parks, bridges, poles, petrol stations.
- ✗ If you hear an explosion — drop flat, hands over head.
In a vehicle
- ✓ Slow down, turn on hazards, pull over to the shoulder.
- ✓ Get out — a car is not a shelter.
- ✓ Move 30–50 m to a building, basement or ditch.
- ✗ Don't block intersections, bridges or emergency lanes.
At work, school, a shop
- ✓ Follow the driver, staff or building manager's instructions.
- ✓ In schools, staff take children to the school shelter.
- ✗ Do not collect kids during an active alert — drive only after WHITE.
Drone or debris? Do not approach.
If you see a drone in the air or on the ground, debris or an unfamiliar object:
- ✗ Don't touch, pick up or move it.
- ✗ Don't approach — it may explode, burn or be radioactive.
- ✗ Don't film and post live to social media.
- ✓ Back away — two walls or into a building.
- ✓ Warn the people around you, especially children.
- ✓ Call 112 and send any footage privately to them.
Even a successfully intercepted drone is dangerous — debris flies for kilometres and may carry explosive remnants, fuel, batteries or heavy metals.
Threat type → warning time
The shorter the warning, the more important it is to go deeper rather than just behind two walls.
| Threat | Time to impact | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Drone (Shahed, ~185 km/h) | 30–60 min | Time to reach a real shelter |
| Cruise missile (Kh-101, Kalibr) | 10–20 min | Straight to shelter, no detours |
| Ballistic missile (Iskander, KN-23) | 3–10 min | Underground immediately — depth, not just walls |
72-hour go-bag
— official LT72 listEvery family member should have one packed and kept near the front door. Rotate water, food, batteries and medication every six months.
Official information channels
During an alert, send SMS instead of calling — voice networks congest first.
After WHITE (“no air danger”) is announced
- 1 Wait at least 10 minutes after the last explosion before leaving shelter.
- 2 Leave calmly. Help children, the elderly, people with disabilities. Take stairs, not lifts.
- 3 Check yourself and others for injuries — first aid for minor, 112 for serious.
- 4 Watch for downed power lines, gas smell, unstable structures, broken glass, unexploded ordnance.
- 5 Do not touch debris — back away, warn others, call 112.
- 6 Resume normal activity only after official confirmation.
Prepare now — while it's quiet
≤1h Today — in under an hour
- ☐ Install the LT72 app and open it once (the map is then cached offline).
- ☐ Enable Emergency Alerts / Cell Broadcast in your phone settings.
- ☐ Identify your closest shelter and one backup. Mark them.
- ☐ Save 112 and 1856 in your contacts.
7d This week
- ☐ Pack a 72 h go-bag for every family member.
- ☐ Agree two meeting points: one near home, one further away (relative in another district).
- ☐ Choose an out-of-area contact — a single point of contact for the whole family.
- ☐ Store 6 L of drinking water per person and 72 h of shelf-stable food.
30d This month
- ☐ Walk the route to your shelter and the backup — time how long it takes.
- ☐ Pick the "two-walls" room at home and at work.
- ☐ Run a 10-minute family drill: alert → go-bag → SMS → meeting point.
- ☐ Every six months — rotate water, food, medication, batteries.