Voice announcement: the air-raid siren in Mykolaiv is to be adjusted

The air-raid siren signal is to be adjusted in Mykolaiv. Illustrative photo: gwaramedia

In early September, the Cabinet of Ministers introduced changes to the air-raid siren. In particular, the all-clear is to be announced via a voice message without an audible signal. At a session of the Mykolaiv City Council, the mayor instructed that these signals be adjusted in the city.

This was announced today, 24 September, during a session of the Mykolaiv City Council, according to NikVesti.

Councillor Fedir Panchenko («Propozytsiia») noted that a new resolution has already been published on the Cabinet of Ministers’ website, setting out new requirements for air-raid sirens.

«Requirements for air raid sirens: the duration of the red alert is 1 minute, and that of the yellow alert is 30 seconds. The «all-clear» signal is given by broadcasting a corresponding voice message without an audible alarm,» the councillor read out.

Fedir Panchenko asked the mayor to issue a formal instruction: that the relevant executive bodies urgently implement the resolution in Mykolaiv.

«I imagine you, too, are receiving a huge number of complaints of varying degrees of validity regarding this. But one can understand the people who have not slept properly for who knows how many months or years, who live right near where these sirens are located,» said the councillor.

The mayor issued a formal instruction to the Emergency Situations Department to check that the sirens’ operation complies with the Cabinet of Ministers’ resolution.

It should be recalled that residents of Mykolaiv have repeatedly complained about the air-raid sirens being too loud and have asked for the volume to be turned down or for the duration of the alerts to be reduced. The authorities explained that the installed sirens have factory settings which cannot be altered.

In September 2026, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced changes to the air-raid siren signals. Two threat levels were also introduced — yellow and red. The yellow level will generally correspond to drone attacks, whilst the red level will correspond to missile threats, in particular the threat of ballistic attacks, as well as large-scale strikes.

The Education Ombudsman has explained the rules for children and teaching staff during the two levels of air raid alert. During a «yellow» threat level, lessons in schools are suspended, and pupils and staff must proceed to a shelter. They may continue their lessons there.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture has also approved recommendations regarding the holding of mass cultural and entertainment events during a «yellow» air-attack alert. According to the recommendations, the declaration of a «yellow» threat level does not automatically mean that an event must be cancelled, postponed or suspended. The organiser may decide to hold or continue the event provided that the necessary safety conditions are met.

The government has approved new rules for the operation of healthcare facilities depending on the level of air threat. At a yellow threat level, healthcare facilities continue to operate. Staff, patients and visitors must be provided with access to shelters.