Nearly 40,000 People Shelter in Kyiv Metro Overnight, Including 2,000 Children

More than 38,000 people sheltered in Kyiv Metro stations overnight on August 20, including over 2,000 children, the Kyiv City State Administration reported, citing the Kyiv Metro municipal company.

According to city authorities, 46 underground metro stations across the Ukrainian capital operate around the clock as shelters during air raid alerts. All station entrances are opened during alerts to provide residents with the shortest possible route to safety.

Metro employees work alongside police officers to ensure that people can enter the stations quickly and without obstruction, the administration said.

Russia carried out a large-scale ballistic missile strike on Kyiv late on August 19, with explosions heard across the capital and damage reported in multiple districts, according to Ukraine’s Air Force and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

At 11:53 p.m., Ukraine’s Air Force warned that ballistic missiles were approaching Kyiv from the north, later reporting that Russia had launched at least 10 missiles.

The overnight attack killed 12 people in Kyiv and injured 33 others, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Seven of those killed were in the capital’s Solomianskyi district, while another person was killed in the Kyiv region.

In response to the casualties, Kyiv authorities declared August 21 a day of mourning. Flags will be lowered across the capital, while entertainment events will be suspended.

Kyiv’s metro system has repeatedly served as a major shelter during Russian aerial attacks. During another large-scale strike overnight on July 2, approximately 52,500 people, including nearly 4,500 children, sought refuge at metro stations—the highest number recorded since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

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