Ukraine official urges Lithuania to speed up shelter construction

A Ukrainian official has urged Lithuania to cut red tape and adapt construction rules to speed up the installation of shelters, drawing on Ukraine’s experience, LRT reported Tuesday.

Dmytro Butrijus, first deputy head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, said Ukraine had also faced bureaucratic obstacles when building and upgrading shelters, but the war forced officials to find ways to make decisions faster.

“If possible, simplify the whole procedure and recognise that these shelters are genuinely needed,” Butrijus told reporters. “If it is a residential building, there must be a shelter there.”

He was speaking after an international conference at the Seimas on Tuesday, where Ukrainian and Lithuanian experts discussed civilian protection during wartime, shelter construction and crisis preparedness. Butrijus said Lithuania had an opportunity to adapt its legislation and construction regulations based on Ukraine’s experience, including that of the Kherson region.

Butrijus said shelters did not have to be buildings designed exclusively for that purpose. Properly equipped underground car parks could serve as shelters, while basements should be reinforced and have electricity, communications and water supplies. They should be sufficiently self-contained for people to stay in them for at least 48 hours, he said.

Renatas Požėla, head of Lithuania’s Fire and Rescue Department, said decisions on protecting residents had to be made before a real threat emerged. “It would probably be criminal not to learn from the Ukrainians’ lessons,” he told reporters after the conference.

Ukrainian participants also presented modular shelters that have proved successful. Požėla supported expanding their use in Lithuania, noting that people in major Ukrainian cities such as Kyiv and Kharkiv can take shelter in metro systems, while Lithuania lacks that infrastructure. Alternative solutions were therefore needed, he said.

Interior Vice-Minister Ana Burkovskienė said Lithuania had made progress in expanding and modernising its shelter network and could adopt Ukraine’s modular shelter designs. About 30 million euros has been allocated for shelter upgrades, she said, while municipalities are expected to invest in around 800 new facilities. Planned improvements include additional evacuation exits, reinforced structures and entrances adapted for people with special needs.

Some municipalities, particularly near educational institutions, lack underground infrastructure, Burkovskienė said. One modular shelter has already been installed in Kaunas District, and the Interior Ministry plans to encourage wider use of the approach, potentially providing funding next year. Ukrainian experience and technical regulations could serve as useful models, she added.

Last week, Lithuanian Association of Municipalities president and Plungė District Mayor Audrius Klišonis also raised concerns about bureaucratic obstacles, BNS reported. Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas said procedures for funding shelters would be simplified as far as possible, while cautioning that the aim could not simply be to spend the allocated funds.