Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The population has become increasingly frustrated over the lack of public warnings.
Officials in the Moscow region have quietly started publishing official maps pointing residents toward emergency shelters, The Moscow Times reports.
Interactive guides recently surfaced on municipal websites in districts like Lyubertsy, Podolsk, and Odintsovo.
These designated spaces include basements of apartment buildings, underground parking lots, and local post offices. Authorities labeled the locations “underground structures” built to protect citizens during emergency situations.
Local officials advised citizens to prepare early. They recommended packing a light bag containing essential items such as personal documents, vital medications, and a mobile phone with its charger.
Rising long-range threats
The sudden transparency comes after warning statements from Ukrainian defense contractors. Denys Shtilerman, owner of weapons manufacturer Fire Point, recently stated that long-range ballistic strikes on the Russian capital could start this autumn.
Fire Point produces attack drones alongside new cruise and ballistic missiles. Range is the key feature: its latest FP-9 model can reportedly hit targets up to 850 kilometres away.
The capital area has already felt the heat. Drone strikes recently hit regional factories and commercial facilities, while an earlier attack crippled a major Moscow oil refinery until next year.
Frustration over warnings
For months, local residents expressed growing frustration over the total lack of public warnings. During heavy drone raids in mid-June, citizens learned of incoming attacks only when they spotted aircraft flying overhead.
No sirens sounded. When questioned about the silence, the Kotelniki administration stated in a public chat that air attack alerts are “an extreme measure, not a routine one.”
They added that sirens sound “only in the event of a direct and confirmed threat to life.” Until now, officials had repeatedly refused to disclose shelter locations.
Regional leaders previously insisted that information regarding designated “temporary shelter sites” would only be released “during mobilization and in wartime.” The Moscow Times reported that rising fear and incoming missile threats pushed authorities to change their stance. Now, residents finally have a map showing where to run.
