Kyiv subway stations are also air raid shelters.[1] They may have decided that running the escalators fast to get people to safety is worth the risk.

[1] https://visitkyiv.com/visitor-essentials/kyiv-shelter-map/

I was wondering if there’s something different about the escalator manufacturer or design. Like longer landing areas or boarding area with extended hand rails. If you had any familiarity with them.

They were running much faster than the “west” in 2015-2020 too, so I doubt that is the reason.

That was standard across major Soviet cities.