Ukraine revamps security protocols amid Russian drone strikes aimed at ‘paralysing’ capital

KYIV - Kyiv on Aug 31 announced a review of security protocols – especially for public transport – after a dramatic surge in Russian drone attacks it says are aimed at “paralysing” the Ukrainian capital.After intensifying its missile strikes on Kyiv earlier this summer, Russia has also drastically increased its daily drone attacks.Since last week, jet-powered drones have been attacking Kyiv and surrounding areas, triggering a dozen air-raid alerts a day and forcing a partial shutdown of economic activity.The metro no longer crosses the Dnieper River, which divides the capital in two, causing traffic chaos.Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram he had met with local officials on Aug 31 to discuss changes to security protocols, suggesting one metro line remain open despite strikes.City hall also announced it was preparing changes for schools, including remote learning, as the school year begins in Ukraine on Sept 1.Kyiv residents took to social media to question whether it was possible to continue living in the capital, especially with children, with some mulling a move to safer areas.“The enemy is trying to paralyse economic activity in the capital and major cities,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergiy Koretskyi said on Facebook on Aug 29.“Prolonged air-raid alerts affect not only people’s safety, but also the operation of businesses, logistics, transportation, schools, kindergartens,” he said.He called for adapting security rules “with the aim of better protecting people and preserving the ability to live in our cities and communities”.Some in Kyiv – a city of three million people – consider the security protocols ineffective, with experts suggesting a more flexible approach.“If, because of a single drone somewhere in the region, everything or almost everything in the entire capital stops for about 40 minutes every hour, we’re not going to last long like this,” Mykhailo Zhernakov, head of a legal think-tank, said on Facebook on Aug 27.Overnight from Aug 28 to 29, a Russian strike on an ammunition depot killed 38 people in the capital’s suburbs.Another attack killed a two-year-old girl in a Kyiv park in broad daylight on Aug 29. AFP