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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The regime of constant air alarms is reshaping our lives, but life goes on, and we have to adapt to everything, even danger. In September the Cabinet of Ministers split the threat of shelling into two levels — "yellow" and "red." How this works on the market for the services we rely on is covered in the Short Overview.
Polyclinics and hospitals
Recently another resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers came into force, approving the procedure for the operation of business entities in the health care sphere under the threat of application of air assault means. As of 22 September, the following rules apply.
Yellow level. All medical facilities, including private clinics and individual entrepreneurs doctors, operate in normal mode provided free access to shelters is guaranteed. Going there, staying inside or in the hospital yard is a free choice for both medical staff and patients. That is, if you are in a medical office and a drone attack warning sounds, the doctor has the right to interrupt the appointment to go to shelter. You also have the right to tell the doctor that you will return to him after the alarm subsides.
Red level. Planned appointments are interrupted. Medical staff and patients must descend to the shelter. If that is not possible or the road presents additional danger, it is advised to proceed to the interior of the building to places with the lowest risk of injury — interior walls, windowless corridors.
Operations and other procedures that have already started and whose interruption would risk patients’ lives continue. Operations that were to begin are postponed until the alarm subsides; in critical cases they take place in a specially equipped shelter room.
Emergency medical services operate in normal mode under both alarm levels. Dispatchers take calls around the clock; workplaces in shelters must be equipped for them. Between trips during an alarm, medical teams must stay in protected locations. Blood storage and transport must also be provided around the clock.
Passenger transport: rail and buses
Decisions about utility transport work are made by local authorities. Kyiv residents are already adjusting to the fact that under the "yellow" designation the green branch of the metro operates without restrictions, while the surface part of the "red" line is closed. As for rail transport, it is regulated by the Cabinet.
Yellow level. The railway operates normally. Trains run on schedule; boarding and alighting passengers occur without restrictions. People may stay at stations or seek shelter at their own discretion, unless there is a direct command to evacuate. At stations and platforms with underground passages to the tracks, boarding and alighting can be announced through these protected passages. That is how it was at Kyiv's main railway station during a drone attack 23 in September.
Red level. Boarding and alighting of passengers stop; railway workers descend to shelter, and passengers are ordered to do the same. Trains en route may stop, and passengers are disembarked so they can go to shelter or scatter across the area.
In Ukrzaliznytsia they clarify that train movement in progress does not automatically stop. Decisions for each train are made separately, taking into account the operational situation and information about threats provided by monitoring groups of the agency.
After the attack on the central capital’s main railway station, the chairman of the board of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia, Oleksandr Pershotsky, wrote: “If you’re delayed on a flight for safety reasons — it’s okay. We will refund 100% of the cost, you’ll travel on the next train.”
Analogous rules to railway stations apply to bus stations. The difference is that the stop between intercity buses in motion is not mandated. If a driver deems the threat real, he may stop the transport near a shelter or in the road so people can hide in the woods or scatter across a field. The air alarms may also alter the timetable for so-called sanitary stops that are usually made at gas stations.
Gas stations
There is no national algorithm for gas stations; their operation is regulated by decisions of local communities and internal directives of operators. Large operators — such as UKRNAFTA, WOG, BRSM, and others — follow the following rules:
Yellow and red levels. Cash registers are fully blocked, fuel is dispensed, shops and cafes operate. If there are customers on site, gas station staff may require them to go to a shelter if available, or leave the complex. At night, gas stations implement light masking — general lighting, information boards, and signs are turned off.
Lately hostile drones have been targeting Ukrainian gas stations, making them high-risk zones. In this regard, UKRNAFTA appealed to drivers with the following requests:
do not leave vehicles on parking lots or other territory of the fueling complexes,
after fueling or shopping, do not linger, but drive away immediately,
where possible, drop off passengers outside the complex.
Nova Poshta and Ukrposhta
Both logistics companies stated that under any level of alarm customer service is suspended, workers move to shelters. Work resumes only after the alarm subsides.
“Life and people’s safety are our absolute priority. In case of air-raid warning, regardless of the threat type, there is a clear and unwavering algorithm: all work processes immediately stop, and employees move to the nearest shelter,” commented Interfax-Ukraine to Nova Poshta’s press service.
Ukrposhta reported that all branches indicate the addresses of the nearest shelters and vaults that customers can use, and 23 September a new service order was introduced. “Parcel intake takes first priority, meaning parcels are accepted out of turn. The next priority is parcel pickup, which is also out of turn,” explained Ukrposhta’s CEO Ihor Smylyansky. He said that in 90% of city branches an “Express Window” will be opened, operating in such a regime. The decision was made to ensure parcels do not remain in branches for long or stay there overnight, i.e., to reduce the risk of destruction during enemy raids.
Food and medicines
The government’s decision to differentiate threats was made, in particular, in the interest of businesses that must survive wartime conditions and cannot continuously interrupt work.
Yellow level. Shops and supermarkets continue to operate provided there is shelter in the building where staff and visitors may descend if they wish. In facilities without such shelter, the working regime must be decided by the workforce. Authorities gave entrepreneurs a three-month transition period to sort out safety issues.
Red level. Retail chains unquestionably shut down. In practice, this mainly affects large shopping malls and supermarkets. Small stores, as experience shows, continue serving customers. This depends on the stance of the business owner. There are no penalties in the law for opening a shop during a warning.
The same rules apply to pharmacy networks. Kyiv officially announced that during the yellow threat level, pharmacies of the municipal enterprise "Pharmacy" will continue to operate.
Administrative and social services
Decisions about the regime of administrative and social services are made at the local government level. For example, Kyiv currently has the following rules:
Yellow level. CNDAs: some branches with underground premises will continue serving citizens. Workers and clients will have a choice — go down to the shelter or continue working. Districts and addresses of such branches can be found on the Kyiv City State Administration website at this link. The same site lists branches that operate at yellow threat level only by prior appointment.
Social institutions: the district social service centers, the Kyiv Military Hub. The City Center for Gender Equality and Prevention of Violence accepts and provides consultations in shelter.
Red level. The work of CNDA and social institutions is suspended until the alarm subsides.
Yellow and red levels. Not all Pension Fund branches operate. In district offices, consultations are provided remotely. Child and disability centers provide full services, but only in equipped shelters.
Border checkpoints
Yellow and red levels. A few days ago, State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andriy Demchenko reported that the operation of checkpoints would be suspended and people would be asked to disperse around the area. This is explained by the fact that the Russians had already attacked a border facility in Volyn region and border infrastructure in Odesa region.
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