First Estonia, Poland and Norway, now also Sweden, Finland and Germany. In view of the worsening international threat situation, countries in Europe are also increasingly developing new civil protection plans, as the Guardian reported on Friday. These range from information brochures to the revival of old bunkers. (Quelle ORF.at)
“Would you survive 72 hours? Germany and the Nordic countries prepare their citizens for a possible war”, headlined the Guardian. It continued: “Even if the prospect of a wider military conflict in Europe still seems a long way off for many, at least some countries are taking the issue seriously.”
After all, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has drastically increased security tensions in the entire Baltic region, but military capabilities are not everything: “Citizens also need to be prepared.”
“National shelter concept”
Even in Germany, the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) and the interior ministries announced this week that more shelters would be set up and a nationwide “shelter concept” drawn up.
The aim is to systematically record which facilities are suitable for escape and shelter rooms. For example, underground car parks, subway stations and cellars. The structural condition of the rooms and the presence of ventilation systems and doors will be checked. Citizens should ultimately be able to be informed via smartphone where the nearest shelter can be found.
Missile attack threats against Ukraine supporters
The reason for the current debate is recent threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin against supporters of Ukraine: “We believe we have the right to use our weapons against military objects in countries that allow their weapons to be used against objects in our country,” he said.
“In the event of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will act decisively in a mirror image”, Putin continued. The “Bild” newspaper was the first to report on a “national bunker plan”, which is now being worked on in Germany.
Sweden and Finland inform the population
Meanwhile, Sweden and Finland want to sensitize their populations with various campaigns to prepare for a possible war.
Full report available at: https://orf.at/stories/3377447/
Documents:
- Swedish brochure https://rib.msb.se/filer/pdf/30874.pdf