Cockroaches and Crumbling Infrastructure: A Look Inside Russia’s Bomb Shelters

Two-thirds of Russia’s bomb shelters are in a state of disrepair, with many suffering from severe neglect. In an investigation released on March 18, by Russian media outlet Verstka, it was revealed that these protective structures, built during in Russia during Soviet times, are now either partially or completely destroyed.

“The last time I was in one of the shelters, about a year ago, it was in a deplorable state and not even equipped with benches. But there were a lot of huge cockroaches, almost like in Fallout " — says a source speaking to Verstka in the Russian State Budgetary Institution.

As inspections ramped up in 2024, following the announcement of mobilization, an alarming number of shelters were found to be flooded, decaying, or even collapsed.

In 2022, the Russian Tambov Oblast prosecutor’s office opened an administrative case against the deputy chief physician of Nikiforovskaya District Hospital. The hospital’s basement, listed as a fallout shelter since 1981, had been abandoned, and hospital staff were unaware of its designation as an emergency shelter.

In April 2024, a Moscow magistrate fined a company and its director for violations related to an underground protective structure. In 2010, the director received it from a government agency for “safekeeping and free use” and turned it into a 24-hour sauna with a pool, bedrooms, karaoke, billiards, and table tennis. The sauna’s website stated that the Wi-Fi “is not the fastest, but acceptable.”

Many shelters, according to Verstka, are still standing but are infested with mold, rust, and lack essential utilities like water, electricity, and sewage systems. Legal actions have surged, with over 200 cases filed in 2024 concerning the unsuitability of these shelters, a stark rise from previous years.

This deterioration is largely attributed to a lack of financial resources for maintenance. The responsibility for shelter upkeep falls on Russian local authorities, schools, and private entities, who often cannot afford the necessary repairs.

Earlier, Ukrainian military intelligence targeted high-value Russian radar stations in Crimea, along with air defense systems, naval vessels, and a helicopter.