Today, 27 November 2025, the Government of Ukraine and Team Europe inaugurate the Civil Protection Shelter Coalition, a new initiative to help Ukraine protect civilians from Russia’s ongoing missile and drone attacks. The Coalition aims to move the country from ad-hoc shelters toward a country-wide modern civil protection shelter network, prioritising frontline communities and heavily targeted regions.
Anchored in Ukraine’s Strategy for the Development of the Fund of Civil Protection Structures up to 2034, the Coalition is led by the Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Emergency Service. It brings together Team Europe partners – Finland, as co-chair, the European Union (EU), Lithuania, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden – as well as international financial institutions such as the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the World Bank.
At the launch, the EU together with Finland Lithuania, Belgium, Sweden and Ireland announced an initial €22 million in grants. Additional commitments are expected from other partners, including Switzerland and Slovakia, alongside support from the EIB and the World Bank.
Ihor Klymenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, said:
“The creation of the Civil Protection Shelter Coalition has become an extremely important decision. The Coalition, initiated back in May this year, is now moving from the political level to the practical level. The Coalition is not only about financial support. It is about pooling technologies, engineering solutions, and the experience of democratic states that have been investing in the resilience of their infrastructure for decades. Together, we are doing what really matters: protecting people and showing the world that unity is stronger than terror.”
The Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo noted: “Finland is proud to stand with Ukraine and alongside our international partners in this vital effort. The Civil Protection Shelter Coalition reflects our shared commitment to safeguard civilians and to build strong civil protection shelter system for Ukraine. This serves the safety and security of Ukrainian civilians also in the long term.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania Kęstutis Budrys said: “Lithuania stands with Ukraine in building a future where every civilian has access to safety and protection. By investing in dual-use shelters, we help Ukrainian children return to school and communities regain a sense of stability and hope.”
EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová underlined the concrete impact the Coalition aims to have in people’s daily lives: “For Ukrainians, the word ‘shelter’ means much more than in other countries – it is a place where you protect your children and wait with them for the air raid to stop. With this Coalition, the European Union and its Member States are investing in very concrete things that matter: safe rooms under schools, protected spaces in hospitals, decent shelters in the basements of residential blocs. As “Team Europe”, we are turning our support – through the Ukraine Facility – into real protection for people today and into a modern civil protection system for a future EU Member State.”
Over the next decade, Ukraine plans to build thousands of new civil protection shelters and upgrade existing ones where this is feasible and safe. The Shelter Coalition will support Ukrainian authorities to map needs, set minimum standards, design inclusive and accessible shelters, and mobilise financing. It will also promote dual-use shelters that serve as schools, health or community facilities in normal times and as safe spaces during air raids.
The Coalition will work along four main lines: strengthening the capacity of Ukrainian authorities and local communities; coordinating donors and implementing partners; supporting construction and rehabilitation of dual-use shelters; and developing sustainable funding models that can combine grants with, over time, concessional finance from international financial institutions.
Background information
– Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has caused massive civilian casualties, large-scale destruction of housing and public infrastructure, and repeated attacks on cities far from the frontline. Civil protection shelters are essential to protect people and to keep schools, hospitals and basic services functioning under constant threat.
– In March 2025, Ukraine adopted the Strategy for the Development of the Fund of Civil Protection Structures up to 2034. The Strategy sets out how to move from ad-hoc, inconsistent shelters to a planned, standards-based network across the country, with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Emergency Service in the lead. The Shelter Coalition is designed to support the implementation of this Strategy.
– The Prime Minister of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland Launched the Civil Protection Shelter Coalition for Ukraine, on May 28, 2025.
– The Coalition builds on existing Team Europe initiatives, including the EU–Lithuania–Ireland school shelter programme (€18.5 million) implemented by Lithuania’s Central Project Management Agency (CPVA), which is constructing inclusive, dual-use shelters in high-risk regions and allowing children to return to in-person learning.
– The Shelter Coalition is a Team Europe initiative driven by Ukrainian needs. Ukraine, Finland, the European Union, Lithuania, Ireland and Belgium have joined forces to kick-start the Coalition, with Sweden also participating. The EU Delegation to Ukraine will co-fund and oversee implementation through Ukraine Facility Pillar III, with CPVA (Lithuania) and Enabel (Belgium) envisaged as main implementing partners for construction under the EU-funded part of the Coalition.
– The Coalition is open to additional EU Member States, international partners and financial institutions willing to support Ukraine’s shelter system. Over time, it aims to mobilise a larger funding envelope and to scale up construction and upgrading of shelters across Ukraine.
