Lithuanian and Latvian entrepreneurs helped set up a fully-fitted bomb shelter in Kyiv, using furniture designed by Vilnius Tech University and tested by soldiers at the frontlines.
When the air-raid alarm sounds, residents of the surrounding courtyards of Kyiv's Shevchenko district flock to the newly opened bomb shelter that can withstand a nuclear attack. Today, the entire place smells of paint and wood.
“It's a very cool project, we've been trying to implement it for the last two months. Today we can rejoice – the new shelter is now available for use. This is the first shelter of its kind in our district, but we will try to continue with the work,” says Oleksandr Popovtsov, head of Kyiv Shevchenko District.
The shelter is furnished with Lithuanian and Latvian furniture. Private firms DUV and Likmerė, the Lithuanian subsidiary of the Latvian plywood manufacturing concern FINIERIS, have taken it upon themselves to manufacture the furniture designed by Vilnius Tech University.
“We have all the solutions for shelters. We should be happy that we have a national product, invented by a Lithuanian university, developed and tested by a Lithuanian company,” says Vytas Liudžius, head of DUV.
“The LITUA Together Foundation has taken a lot of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and the furniture has already been tested by Ukrainian soldiers at the front and elsewhere,” says Laimis Kvedaravičius, the foundation’s project manager.
The opening of the first shelter for civilians could pave the way for the development of shelters throughout Ukraine.
“Everything will depend, of course, on the financial possibilities – how much the company can afford,” says Mindaugas Kasmauskis, CEO of Likmerė, a company that supplies birch plywood for furniture production.
“We can do it, but we understand that the need for aid is very, very large, as cities are being bombed and shelters are the most important things for people to stay alive,” he adds.
Marijus Dunda, counsellor at the Lithuanian Embassy in Ukraine, says there are unresolved problems with shelters in the country.
“Maybe in Kyiv air defence works well, but in other cities – we saw the attack in Lviv today – the installation of shelters is important. It's especially crucial in schools where they are not always adapted [for use],” he says.
“For example, the school that Lithuania is building in Borodyanka [near Kyiv] will have a shelter that will be available to the local population,” adds Dunda.
Further reading
'There are always some surprises'
Galina and Olga say they have been observing what is happening in their local shelter for some time. Today, they sat down on brand-new furniture. At first, they wondered where they came from.
“We asked how much does it all cost? How much public money has been used up? They told us it was a gift. We are extremely grateful, we love all this furniture. We both welcomed the New Year here. We brought chairs and a table. Now, we won't need to do it anymore,” says Galina.
Linas Krūgelis, associate professor at Vilnius Tech, designed the furniture and looked for technical solutions that could offer comfort, as well as safety.
Each shelter also has a different layout, meaning the furniture must be easy to adapt, he says.
“There are always some surprises that are not visible on the drawing, like infrastructure elements, pipes, or cables that are not covered or hidden,” says Krūgelis. “So everything needs to be assessed on the spot.”
The Lithuanian and Latvian entrepreneurs hope to continue the project in other Ukrainian cities, as well as in Lithuania. The Baltic country is now planning to make bomb shelters mandatory in new buildings.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
