Yes, they are used as air raid shelters, but they were designed like that in the first place. Some of them lie really deep - especially the ones in the city center.
Kyiv metro is one of the deepest in the world. We have one station that is 105 meters deep. So even with fast escalators, it feels like an eternity to go up and down there.
big_toast · · focus · HN ↗
Hong Kong: 0.75 meters/s (1.7 mph)
Kyiv: 0.9 meters/s (2 mph)
Kinda slower than I expected in general. I assume the speed is mostly dictated by boarding/alighting safety.
Animats · · focus · HN ↗
[1] <a href="https://visitkyiv.com/visitor-essentials/kyiv-shelter-map/" rel="nofollow">https://visitkyiv.com/visitor-essentials/kyiv-shelter-map/
invader · · focus · HN ↗
Kyiv metro is one of the deepest in the world. We have one station that is 105 meters deep. So even with fast escalators, it feels like an eternity to go up and down there.