First of all, remember: all objects in the air should be treated as hostile. If an enemy drone is floating low above you, most likely you have already been spotted.

The main rule for survival: if you hear the sound of a drone or see a drone in the sky, immediately take shelter! 

If there is no shelter nearby: 

• hide in the basement or on the ground floor;
• if there are none nearby, follow the “two walls” rule (which means that you should be separated from the danger by two walls).

Under no circumstances hide:

• in entrances;
• under arches;
• on the stairs.

If the drone is already above you and you still have some distance to go to shelter: 

• move quickly, change direction every 7 to 10 metres and run in a “snake” manner (this will make it harder for the enemy drone operator to make an accurate drop);
• stay away from administrative buildings, strategic and military facilities, and petrol stations.

If you are in a vehicle at the time of the threat, immediately get out and run away from the road, find a shelter.

Remember: never touch a fallen drone or its wreckage! Report the crash site to rescuers or the police by calling 101 or 102.

Yesterday the area was safe, but today it may be mined.

This applies to the usual way to work and the yard of your house. After all, the territory can be mined remotely with the help of portable mining complexes, aircraft and drones. Mining complexes are capable of scattering devices at a distance of up to 70 kilometres. One salvo can literally “sow” a 1 km² area with hundreds of mines.

 In the Kherson region, the most commonly seen mines are petal mines (they are named after their shape), the PTM-4 anti-tank mine, and the PTM-1S delayed action mine.

A petal mine:

• small size 11*6*2 cm;
• has a plastic body;
• can be green, brown or other colours;
• explodes when pressed with a weight of 5 kg or more.

If you see a mine:

• stop immediately;
• remain calm: if you panic, you may take unnecessary steps and hit nearby mines;
• if you are not alone, inform others loudly;
• don’t come closer yourself and don’t let others come near;
• don’t move, look around to see if there are any more mines near you;
• if you see nothing, carefully follow your own footsteps and move as far away as possible (at least 100 metres), hide behind a building;
• when you have got as far away as possible, mark the area with a noticeable sign – a ribbon, branch, cloth;
• report the find to the State Emergency Service (by calling 101) or the police (by calling 102) and wait for the arrival of specialists.

IN NO CASE should you:

• touch the mine;
• move it;
• try to disassemble it;
• cover it with something;
• bring it indoors;
• hit it;
• throw it into a water body;
• light a fire nearby or throw something at a mine;
• bury it in the ground.

Remember: if you see one mine, there may be many around!

Be sure to teach your children these rules! Due to its unusual shape and small size, children often confuse a petal mine with a toy.

Learning the safety rules in advance can save lives! Read more tips and instructions on the Dovidka.info website of the Centre for Strategic Communications. And tell your family about it.

The presence of people in the coastal zone of water bodies in Kherson and the region is prohibited. The Kherson District State Military Administration issued an order to this effect in May 2024. 

After the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, the water bodies of southern Ukraine remain contaminated with explosive devices. To this day, the coastal regions are subject to constant shelling by artillery and drones. The enemy also remotely mines the area. Therefore, it is deadly dangerous to be there.

Unless permission is given by the local authorities, you MUST NOT: 

• visit the coastal areas of water bodies;
• enter the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine along the right bank of the Dnipro; 
• Approach the engineering barriers at a distance closer than 30 metres (these are the barriers installed along the right bank of the Dnipro, Ingults, the left bank of the river Viryovchyna, along the banks of the river Kosova);
• approach engineering obstacles in any other places if there is a “Caution! Mines” sign;
• consume fish from the region’s water bodies. 

Hotline of the Kherson Regional Military Administration

☎️ – 0 800 101 102
https://t.me/khoda_help_bot  

In what issues to contact: if you have suffered from shelling, are planning to evacuate, need help with social benefits, humanitarian aid.

Emergency medical assistance 

☎️ 103
☎️ 112
☎️ 066 284 13 50
066 284 13 70
098 131 42 20
098 131 42 20

Law enforcement authorities 

☎️ 102
☎️ 112
☎️ Call centre of the National Police of Ukraine – 0 800 50 02 02

Free legal aid 

Kherson local centre of free legal aid

Address: 97 Potiomkinska St., Kherson (Lesia Ukrainka Central City Library) 

Working hours: Mon-Fri from 9:00 to 15:00 (break from 12:00 to 12:30)

☎️ +38 (095) 039-96-62

Free legal advice from the CF “I am Kherson”

☎️ 0 800 339 474

Working hours: Monday-Friday – from 9 to 18, Saturday – from 10 to 14, Sunday – day off 

Mine safety 

Map of areas that may be potentially mined 

🌐 https://mine.dsns.gov.ua/

Found a mine or a mine-like object?

Call:  

SES – ☎️ 101
Police – ☎️ 102

Help with evacuation 

Humanitarian Centre of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration

☎️ 066 637 49 85
☎️ 098 176 16 98 (Viber, Telegram, WhatsApp)

Registration for evacuation:
☎️ 0 800 101 102

Round-the-clock evacuation hotline for Ukrainians  

☎️ +38 (093) 17-76-458
https://t.me/helpingtoleave_bot 

How they will help: evacuate from Kherson, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as from the temporarily occupied territories.

List of places and contacts to accommodate IDPs

🌐 https://booking.help.gov.ua/

Humanitarian aid 

Red Cross of Ukraine

Regional organisation:
☎️ 050 231 63 23

Dnipro district:
☎️ 099 389 27 31

Korabelny district:
☎️ 099 307 46 93

How they will help: provide humanitarian, medical and psychological assistance, help with evacuation.