Kyiv blackout scenario: Will capital be evacuated?
Amid potential massive Russian attacks and a prolonged total blackout in Kyiv, discrepancies have emerged between the official position of the Kyiv City State Administration and insider information regarding evacuation plans for the city’s residents.
Evacuation of residents / Illustrative photo
In the event of a complete blackout caused by extended power outages due to Russian strikes, authorities may evacuate part of the population. While the Department of Municipal Security officially states that evacuation is not planned under current regulations, a source in the Kyiv City Military Administration confirms that a secret plan to relocate part of the population has already been developed.
This was reported by Suspilne.
Official position: no evacuation foreseen
In response to a request from the publication, the Kyiv City State Administration Department of Municipal Security referred to the Civil Protection Code and Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 841, which clearly define the conditions under which authorities must organize centralized evacuation of people, as well as material and cultural assets.
According to these documents, people are to be evacuated only in cases of:
- man-made accidents involving radioactive or hazardous chemical substances;
- natural disasters, including floods, earthquakes, forest and peat fires, landslides;
- armed conflicts.
Acting director of the department, Andriy Kasian, said that district administrations annually update plans based on potential threats. However, he noted that current plans do not provide for evacuating Kyiv residents in the event of a blackout.
At the same time, the city administration assured that in case of prolonged blackouts, 1,073 “Points of Invincibility” are prepared and functioning at an appropriate level, most of them located in schools.
Insider information: evacuation plan exists
Meanwhile, a source from the Kyiv City State Administration, familiar with the relevant documents, provided contradictory information. According to the source, a Kyiv City Defense Council–approved evacuation plan does exist.
“There is a documented evacuation plan in Kyiv. Fuel reserves are in place, and evacuation routes have been developed,” the source told Suspilne.
The plan anticipates that some residents would leave the city in their own vehicles. The exact number of people and the timeframe for evacuation were not specified, as the source said the information is classified.
The source also confirmed that a separate, military-approved sectoral defense plan for Kyiv exists in case of a renewed Russian invasion threatening the capital, including a scenario involving a breach of the state border from Belarus.