Ukraine introduces yellow and red air raid alerts to distinguish drone and missile threats
Ukraine has formally introduced two levels of air raid alerts — yellow for drone attacks and red for missile or combined threats — as the country adapts its warning system and daily life to Russia’s changing aerial attack tactics, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said.
Under the new system, businesses and other workplaces will be allowed to continue operating during a yellow alert, provided employees and visitors have access to shelters and safety requirements are observed.
Businesses that do not currently provide adequate shelter access will have three months to do so.
During a red alert, triggered by a missile or combined aerial threat, work must stop and people must move to shelters.
The government said the distinction is intended to protect people while reducing the disruption caused by prolonged drone attacks, which can keep cities under air raid alerts for hours.
Authorities were also instructed to accelerate the installation of additional mobile shelters to protect people from falling debris.
Changes for Kyiv
The government recommended that Kyiv keep its metro system fully operational during yellow alerts and increase above-ground public transport where necessary.
It also recommended shortening the capital’s curfew to four hours, from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
Rules for transit freight traffic and for transporting passengers to and from railway stations during curfew hours are also expected to be revised.
“The goal of all these changes is to protect people while preventing enemy attacks from paralyzing cities, the economy and critical infrastructure,” Koretskyi said.