After Russian President Vladimir Putin said he reserved the right to bomb allies in Ukraine, Germany is working on a “bunker program” that includes a smartphone app to direct citizens to the nearest shelter in case of an emergency. the report said.
The federal government (Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe), known as the BKK or the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, has embarked on a project to understand where the country's remaining air raid shelters are located and how many can still be accommodated. for use. As well as the currently long-neglected facilities designed for this purpose, authorities are also considering the possibility of converting subway stations, government buildings and even private basements, according to newspaper reports. . built claim.
German broadcaster ZDF interpret Revelation of the so-called “Bunker Project” as part of the country's response to Russia Bombing of Dnipro city in Ukraine Last week, an unarmed nuclear-capable ballistic missile was launched. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the weapon was a new design, “hypersonic” and immune to countermeasures, and its launch was seen as a clear message to Ukraine's supporters.
Speaking immediately after the launch, President Putin said the launch was “in response to the use of long-range weapons by the United States and Britain.” In a chilling message to NATO allies that supply Ukraine with long-range precision attack weapons used to attack military targets inside Russia, President Putin said: stated. Weapons used against our facilities. ”
At the end of the Cold War, there were reportedly 2,000 public shelters in Germany, but with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the need for such facilities was deemed to have disappeared and funding was stopped. After a few years, many fell into disrepair, and in the early 2000s sales began, with many becoming private residences, businesses, museums, tourist attractions, and even hotels and mushroom farms.
The decline continued until 2022, after which the Russian invasion of Ukraine began again and the cull was halted. According to the Federal Interior Ministry, there are currently only 579 shelters owned by the federal government, with space for 480,000 people.
According to reports, the BKK is currently asking how many old shelters still exist in good condition and usable condition, which could be reused in times of crisis, and where other new spaces could be built if needed. He says he knows how much there is. This work definitely learned a lot from the Ukrainian experience. In Ukraine, many of the existing shelters from relentless Russian air raids are set up in spaces that have been converted for other purposes.
The national survey assesses the structural condition of the site, including doors and ventilation systems. Private and public property, including underground garages, subway stations, government buildings and basements, will be surveyed in what has been described as a “major project” that is expected to take a significant amount of time to complete.
The public also seems to be looking forward to preparations for initiatives that have not yet been officially announced. As stated in built The report says citizens are expected to do something from their basements and not necessarily wait for government action. As part of the project, there will be a mobile phone app that directs users to the nearest air raid shelter in times of crisis. It also takes inspiration from Ukraine, where such apps are already in daily use.
The nationwide survey is clearly intended to assess what is available and what is possible in the future, but there are reportedly no plans for the German government to actually provide new evacuation spaces or bunkers. . Citing Berlin's position this summer, the ZDF said: “Public shelters for hundreds or thousands of people located in central locations should not be destroyed, especially individual war-related objects, and with only a few minutes' advance warning time.” “It is not an adequate means of protection against modern precision weapons that only exist in Japan.” It's an attack. ”
It is not clear to what extent this decades-old conventional view about the future of war has actually been borne out by the actual experience of the war in Ukraine, where large-scale attacks using relatively simple artillery and bombing drones Attacks hit Ukrainian cities almost indiscriminately. . In many areas, the damage caused by falling debris from downed weapons is almost as much as by the attacks themselves, again contradicting the concept of precision warfare.
surely, Lack of provision of space for air raid shelters throughout Ukraine in the first few months. This invasion caused a huge scandal in Ukraine. a person was killed If it was not possible to reach the bunker in time or because there was something locally available when the war started It was actually not explosion-proof at all..
In Germany, some bunkers are already well known. beyond huge wreckage While some of the defense structures built by Nazi Germany during World War II were too large to destroy, the country is also home to many Cold War-era underground bunkers. One is Pankstrasse U-Bahn When newly built in 1977, Berlin's subway system also included bunkers designed by one of the BBK's predecessors to evacuate more than 3,000 people in the event of war.
However, not all regions have regulations. german Welts report The eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, some of the areas most threatened if the disputed escalation of the war in Ukraine reaches catastrophic levels, lacks a single public air raid shelter.
Other countries closer to the Ukraine war than Germany have been somewhat aggressive and are not necessarily opposed to Russia deliberately trying to attack NATO territory, but because its missiles sometimes overshoot. be. Poland has seen some “lost” munitions fired by both Ukraine and Russia reach its territory, and some Romanian villages on the border with Ukraine have “surrounding airspace.” A new air raid shelter was installed to protect the area from falling objects.
