Overview
russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the ongoing attacks on civilians have created an urgent need to increase the number of civil protection shelters in the country. Currently, Ukraine has around 62,000 protective structures that could theoretically shelter approximately half of the population. However, most of them are classified as basic shelters and do not meet higher protection standards.
In March 2025, Ukraine approved a strategy for the development of its civil protection infrastructure. The strategy foresees the construction of more than 10,000 new civil protection shelters by 2034 and the establishment of a comprehensive system of shelters.
The International Civil Protection Shelter Coalition was established in May 2025 following a joint memorandum signed by the Prime Ministers of Ukraine and Finland. The Coalition’s objective is to support Ukraine in implementing its shelter’s strategy.
Already 16 countries are members of this Coalition.
Read more about The International Civil Protection Shelter Coalition for Ukraine HERE.
Key Areas of the Coalition’s Activities:
- Capacity building (led by Finland)
- Coordination of donors, implementers, and institutions (led by Finland and Ukraine)
- Construction of new shelters and development of a comprehensive network (in education, healthcare, and community spaces) (led by the EU, Lithuania, Belgium)
- Development of a sustainable financing model for scaling up (led by the EU)
The Central Project Management Agency (CPVA), together with the Belgian development cooperation agency Enabel, is implementing construction and reconstruction works under EU-funded projects and contributing to strengthening Ukraine’s institutional capacities.
The current program budget amounts to EUR 22 million.
Seven sites have been approved for shelter construction: three in the education sector and four in the healthcare sector.
CPVA Project Implementation Status
CPVA is implementing three projects in the education sector, involving the construction of shelters at kindergartens in frontline regions:
- Sumy region: the shelter is planned for a kindergarten for 200 persons. Construction works have been ongoing since May 2026. It is planned to complete the works within 8 months.
- Mykolaiv region: the shelter is planned for a kindergarten for 228 persons. Construction contract signed in June, works have commenced. It is planned to finish all work in 9 months.
- Dnipropetrovsk region: the shelter is planned for a kindergarten for 200 persons. Construction contract signed in June, works have commenced. It is planned to finish all work in 10 months.
In September 2026, representatives of the International Civil Defence Shelter Coalition in Ukraine from the Lithuanian Centre for International Partnerships took part in blast tests on civil defence shelters in Finland. During the visit, the representatives had the opportunity to observe how the shelters operate and to share insights into ongoing shelter projects in Ukraine, against a backdrop of growing concerns regarding European security.
