Andriy Smoliy outlines specific reforms including distance-based yellow alerts for approaching Shahed drones and mandatory red alerts during direct urban strikes.
Ukrainian public figure Andriy Smoliy has publicly proposed a four-point reform of the national air raid alert system, arguing that current protocols fail to match threat proximity with warning levels. The suggestions come weeks after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a two-tier civil defense system distinguishing yellow alerts for drone attacks and red alerts for missile threats, along with changes to siren signals. Smoliy's channel previously criticized the government's tiered railway protocols, which keep trains running during yellow alerts despite Shahed strikes on rail infrastructure.
Smoliy's first proposal calls for an automatic yellow alert when jet-propelled Shahed drones reach 20 to 30 kilometers from Kyiv, giving civilians, enterprises, schools, and kindergartens time to decide on sheltering. A red alert should follow only during direct attacks on cities, he argues, ensuring people remain in shelters rather than standing on streets watching debris fall. He cites overnight and morning Shahed strikes on Kyiv as evidence that the current yellow designation is insufficient when infrastructure is being destroyed.
The third point demands corrected activation and deactivation logic to prevent alerts from lingering for hours when drones are 70 to 100 kilometers away, referencing a specific Sunday episode. Finally, Smoliy highlights technical failures: sirens near residential areas become nearly inaudible during yellow alerts due to low volume and short duration, undermining the warning's purpose. The proposals reflect ongoing public debate over calibrating risk in an active war zone.
https://t.me/smolii_ukraine/164715