Tensions with Russia: Germany lists bunkers and shelters available on its territory

It is an administrative inventory that does not go unnoticed, in the context of increased tensions with Russia. The German authorities announced that they were in the process of listing bunkers and shelters where the population could find refuge in the event of an attack, and that they also wanted to increase their number.

“All buildings – including private property – which could serve as shelter, such as cellars, garages and metro stations” are being inventoried, said a spokesperson for the German Interior Ministry on Monday, November 25 in Berlin. The inventory also includes an inspection of the condition of the structures, and in particular their ventilation systems. “A digital directory of all bunkers will be established so that people can find them quickly using their mobile phones”added the spokesperson.

More than 500 bunkers

German citizens will also be encouraged to create shelters at home, by converting their cellar or garage, he continued. The German daily Bild qualified this plan “d’offensive bunker”, in a country increasingly worried about a potential Russian threat. Authorities are also seeking to determine which public buildings could be transformed into shelters. Currently, Germany, which has 83 million inhabitants, still has 579 bunkers (out of 2000 originally), some dating from the Second World War, and others from the Cold War era. , which can accommodate 480,000 people in total.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, the German authorities have stopped the sale of fortified works in their possession. More than 300 bunkers had been sold by the state and its administrations since 2005. The key points of this shelter development program were adopted during a meeting between senior German officials last June.

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Last Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the conflict in Ukraine now had all the makings of a war “world” and warned that he did not rule out striking Western countries, reinforcing concern among NATO members, particularly those close to Russia, such as the Baltic countries, Poland, but also Germany. Finland, which shares 1,340 km of border with its Russian neighbor, has more than 50,000 bunkers, capable of sheltering all of its 5.5 million inhabitants. The threats from the master of the Kremlin came after Russia’s use on Ukrainian territory of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (up to 5,500 km), designed to carry a nuclear warhead.