Residents of Mykolaiv are once again complaining about the noise from the sirens: they are calling for the Soviet-era «sirens» to be replaced with modern warning systems

Residents of Mykolaiv have once again raised the issue of the excessive volume of air-raid sirens. On social media, residents are asking the city authorities to replace the outdated electromechanical sirens with modern digital warning systems or to review their locations.

The complaint was posted by Olena Ustymenko on the Mykolaiv City Council’s Contact Centre page.

The author of the post complained about a siren installed on the roof of a building at 23-A Zakhysnykiv Mykolaieva Street. According to her, the sound is so loud that it causes severe stress.

«It’s the fifth year of the war, and we’re still being tormented by this Soviet scrap metal! Every time the alarm sounds, it’s not just a feeling of «fear», but of unbearable physical pressure — as if this wailing siren is screaming right inside your brain. This isn’t an alert; it’s a means of psychological exhaustion that takes its toll on the nervous systems of children and the elderly every single day… We’ve been living in the midst of a full-scale war for five years now. The entire civilised world switched to electronic sirens with voice alerts long ago. They do not emit that animalistic roar. They clearly, specifically and calmly state in a voice: ‘What exactly is the threat and how should you behave?», the post reads.

The author of the appeal is asking for the siren to be replaced with a modern digital warning system.

The post sparked a lively discussion. Many residents supported the appeal in the comments and reported that a similar problem exists in other parts of the city.

Residents say that the sirens prevent them from sleeping properly, especially in summer when they have to keep their windows open. According to residents, young children find this particularly difficult to cope with.

«Please take note of the siren on Ozerna Street… My child wakes up every night in a state of panic, cries and takes a long time to calm down. We understand that danger alerts are necessary, but we would very much ask you to consider replacing or upgrading this siren to a modern warning system. This will help to safeguard not only safety but also the peace of mind of children and adults,» wrote Kateryna Shevchenko.

Other residents reported that excessively loud sirens are sounding near School №42, Nursery №84, on Ozerna and Kurortna Streets, and in the vicinity of the «Shkilna» bus stop. Some noted that they could hear several sirens at once, which made the noise level even higher.

At the same time, other views were expressed in the comments. Some users emphasised that, in wartime, sirens remain an essential part of the warning system, and the loud sound is necessary to ensure that people definitely hear the danger signal.

«Is the sound of the air-raid siren really the scariest thing about this war?!!! Well, if the sirens are bothering you in the fifth year of the war, put in some earplugs! When the siren sounds, it means something’s flying overhead, and if it’s flown past — be glad! But bear in mind that for some people, it has indeed hit its target,» writes Valentyna Melnychenko.

It should be noted that this is not the first time the issue of modernising the public warning systems in Mykolaiv has been raised. Previously, residents had already approached the authorities with complaints about the excessive volume of the sirens in the city’s Central District and asked them to consider replacing or upgrading them.

At the time, the Rapid Response Service explained that the public warning system operates in accordance with legal requirements. Under a Cabinet of Ministers resolution, the ‘Attention Everyone’ warning signal must last between three and five minutes, after which people must take shelter.

They also emphasised that it is not possible to adjust the volume of the sirens, partly due to the factory settings.

«The installed electric siren, with a 360-degree rotation radius, is factory-set by the manufacturer and cannot be adjusted; the siren’s sound cannot be altered, so it is the same for everyone and is used as the official warning signal,» the statement reads.

Furthermore, the response noted that, due to martial law, it is also impossible to change the location of the sirens.

It should be noted that there are currently two automated centralised warning systems in operation in Mykolaiv, comprising 84 electric sirens, 224 signal and loudspeaker devices, and three control modules. Residents also receive information about air raid alerts via television, radio, official websites and Telegram channels run by the city authorities and the Regional Military Administration.

Following the outbreak of full-scale war, the warning system was modernised: 29 new electric sirens and eight loudspeakers were installed in the city, and 69 control units were upgraded, enabling the sirens to be activated via the «Air Raid Alert» app. In 2025, work also began on the reconstruction of the local automated centralised warning system, with 2.2 million hryvnias allocated from the city budget for this purpose.