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Serial production of the KUB-M mobile shelter, designed to protect against nuclear explosions and other threats, has begun in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. Each shelter can accommodate 54 people and provide protection for up to 48 hours, according to the All-Russian Research Institute for Civil Defense and Emergencies.

The institute stated that the KUB-M shelters shield occupants from air blast waves, light radiation from nuclear explosions, penetrating radiation, radioactive contamination, high-explosive and fragmentation effects of conventional weapons, falling debris, hazardous chemicals, and fires.

Despite these claims, some experts have criticized the shelters' practical utility. Alexey Arbatov, head of the Center for International Security at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, told the publication RTVI that the shelters would only be effective if they were far from the epicenter of a nuclear explosion. Even then, survivors would face the aftermath of a nuclear strike once they leave the shelter.

“In the 1980s, it was said that in the event of a massive nuclear exchange, the survivors would envy the dead. These shelters will probably come in handy so that there would be someone to envy,” Arbatov said.

He added that such shelters would be largely ineffective in the event of a large-scale nuclear strike.

Andrey Ozharovsky, an engineer and physicist, echoed these concerns. He argued that the civilian population would likely not have enough time to reach the shelters during a nuclear attack. 

Ozharovsky suggested a return to shelter production that mirrors Soviet-era practices when certain enterprises and cities were equipped with protective structures. He noted that federal legislation mandates the construction and maintenance of such shelters.

The KUB-M shelters were developed between 2015 and 2017, according to the Russian magazine Civil Security Technologies. The project followed a 2014 inventory that revealed 86% of existing bunkers were unsuitable for use, prompting renewed efforts to address the deficiency, according to Novaya Gazeta Evropa.