Lawmakers Propose Letting Businesses Decide on Work During Yellow Air Alerts

In brief

• A draft resolution registered in Ukraine's parliament on November 2 seeks to revisit a Cabinet rule limiting business operations during yellow-level air alerts.
• It is backed by 31 deputies and was announced by Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
• The draft would let businesses and employees decide on operating and sheltering, while the duty to warn staff stays.
• The proposal would also remove the three-month deadline for setting up shelters; it is not yet law.

Proposed changes to the rule

A draft resolution, numbered 16207, was registered in the Verkhovna Rada on November 2 and is backed by 31 deputies. Lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak announced the registration (Запрет на работу бизнеса во время желтой тревоги: что предлагают в Раде – my.ua) (Заборона на роботу бізнесу під час жовтої тривоги: що пропонують у Раді – TSN) (31 народний депутат вимагає переглянути заборону роботи бізнесу під час жовтої тривоги | UA.NEWS – ua.news). The text would revisit a Cabinet of Ministers decision of September 4, 2026, No. 1092, which governs business activity during yellow-level air alerts.

What the draft would do

According to Zheleznyak, the proposal contains three main changes:

• Businesses would decide for themselves whether to keep operating during a yellow alert.
• Each employee would assess the level of danger personally and could leave the workplace to reach a shelter if needed.
• The obligation to warn staff and visitors about an air alert would remain in force.

The changes concern cases in which businesses are required to have a shelter on site.

Context and next steps

The rule currently in force sets a three-month deadline for businesses to set up shelters, and the government is reportedly preparing to extend that deadline (Дрони не зупинили бізнес, але це можуть зробити обмеження Кабміну: у Раді пропонують змінити постанову 1092 - sud.ua – sud.ua). The draft goes further by removing the three-month limit altogether and allowing companies to operate during yellow-level threats with the agreement of their staff.

The document is only a registered draft. To change the existing rules, parliament would first need to consider it and approve it.