The first rule for a foreign visitor in Ukraine: don't ignore an air alert, but don't panic either. It's a regular part of life in the country under martial law, in most cities since 24 February 2022. Ukrainians have learned to live with it: they move to interior rooms, go down to shelters, wait for the all-clear — and return to their day. You can do the same calmly.
What to do when an alert begins: 4 steps
Step 1. Glance at your watch or the "Air Alert" app — confirm it's actually an alert and not the all-clear (the sounds are similar to an untrained ear).
Step 2. Move to a safer place. If you're in a building — an interior room without windows: hallway, bathroom, basement, parking garage. If you're outdoors — the nearest shelter: metro station, underground passage, café/shop with a basement, mall parking.
Step 3. Stay there until the all-clear. That's also visible in the app. Wait time — from 5-10 minutes to several hours; the longest alerts usually come during a mass attack, the shortest from a single object in airspace.
Step 4. Don't leave before the official all-clear, even if the sounds have stopped. Sirens may stop earlier than the actual threat, and the app gives a more reliable signal than street audio.
That's the basic protocol. The rest of the article is detail worth knowing before an alert.
How to receive warnings
The free "Air Alert" app (App Store, Google Play; Russian and English interface) is the country-wide standard. It push-notifies the start and end of alerts in oblasts you select; you can choose several (e.g., "Lviv" + "Zakarpattia") if you're moving between them.
Alternative sources:
- Telegram channels of regional military administrations. Search for "Kyiv RMA", "Lviv RMA", etc. The RMA channel publishes not just alerts but context (threat type, recommendations).
- "Air Alert" Telegram channels — unofficial but fast.
- Audible sirens in cities. In big cities sirens are heard at street level, but in a hotel, mall, or at night you may not hear them. The app is more reliable.
Install the app before crossing the border, allow notifications, turn on sound for them (loud by default — that's intentional). Without active notifications the app is useless.
How to read an alert: threat types
Not all alerts are the same. The app and RMA Telegram channels often state the threat type, which helps weigh your reaction.
"Ballistic threat". Ballistic missiles travel fast (about 5-7 minutes from launch to impact), often aimed at specific objects. The alert is usually short. Move to shelter quickly if you're in a likely target city (Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa).
"Cruise missiles" / "Shaheds". Shahed-type drones travel slower; an alert may last 1-3 hours. The reaction is the same: interior room or shelter, but with more time for a calm move.
"Threat from the sea" / "Threat from the RF". General formula meaning unknown trajectory. Same reaction: shelter, wait for detail.
"Missile danger across the oblast". This means a missile is in the air and heading toward your zone. Quickly to shelter, no debate.
If you're unsure of the type — react as to the maximum threat. Better to sit out 30 minutes in a safe place than risk it.
Where shelters are in big cities
Kyiv. All metro stations (especially the deep ones: Khreshchatyk, Palats Sportu, Pecherska, Teatralna, Olimpiiska) are official shelters. Free entry during an alert without a ticket. On the street — underground passages, mall parkings, restaurants with basements.
Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv. Lviv has no metro; look for hotel basements, mall parkings (Forum, Victoria Gardens in Lviv; Sky Mall, Riviera Shopping City in Odesa), official shelters in schools and kindergartens (map on the regional administration website).
Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia. These cities have official shelter maps from the city administration. Many hotels have their own basement shelters — ask at reception on check-in.
Other cities. In most large cities shelter maps are available through the local mobile administration (often a city council Telegram channel). Business-class hotels usually keep a map of nearby shelters at reception.
A "shelter" doesn't always mean a bomb shelter. Often it's just an interior room without windows with sufficient cover (two walls between you and the street). In a hotel that's a windowless corridor; in a multi-storey building, a stairwell or basement.
Night alert: a realistic approach
Night alerts are the most frequent. In Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and other western cities they may happen several times a week, mostly at night. Many Ukrainians have stopped going to shelters every night because it makes normal sleep impossible.
A realistic approach for a foreign visitor:
- If you're in a hotel above the ground floor and your room has windows — move to an interior corridor without windows. This is the "two walls rule," which gives enough protection from shrapnel and blast wave.
- If the hotel has a basement shelter — go down, especially with a ballistic threat.
- A bathroom is also acceptable if it has no windows.
- Don't stay in a room near a window; don't sit on the windowsill; don't open curtains "to look".
This is a personal choice; no law requires going to a shelter. Border guards and police don't fine for non-compliance. But the minimum below — an interior room without windows — is strongly recommended even if you're not in a shelter.
Day alert: how not to wreck your schedule
A day alert is less frequent but possible, especially in Kyiv and Odesa. It can wreck a business meeting, tour, or dinner.
- In a restaurant / café. Venues during an alert more often move guests to the basement (if available) or to interior rooms without windows. Don't go outside; stay with staff.
- In a museum / on a tour. The guide knows the protocol. Listen to instructions; usually the group goes to interior museum rooms or to the nearest official shelter.
- In a mall. Underground parkings almost always work as shelters. Follow the general flow.
- In the metro. If you're already in the metro — stay, don't leave the lobby. Trains keep running but slower.
- On the street with no shelter nearby. Look for the nearest underground passage, parking, café with a basement. If nothing's around — the interior side of a building (courtyard, not the street-facing facade).
Sirens last until the alert is cancelled. The app shows a forecast: 30 minutes — low strike probability, 2+ hours — risk higher. Base your schedule on this information.
Pre-trip checklist
- Install the "Air Alert" app on your phone.
- Allow it push notifications with full sound.
- Choose the oblasts you plan to visit (changeable any time).
- Carry a power bank: during an alert mobile internet can become heavier, your phone will discharge faster.
- Save "112" (single emergency service) as a quick contact.
- On hotel check-in — ask reception where the nearest shelter is.