Germany is creating a list of bunkers that could serve as emergency shelters for civilians, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced amid escalating tensions with Russia.
The list will include subway stations, parking garages, state-owned buildings, and private properties, according to a ministry spokesperson.
A digital directory of bunkers and emergency shelters will be created so that people can quickly locate them using a planned mobile app. Citizens will also be encouraged to create protective shelters in their homes by repurposing basements and garages, the spokesperson said during a press briefing.
He declined to provide a timeline, noting that this is a large-scale project that will take time and involve the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, along with other agencies.
The country, with a population of 84 million, currently has 579 bunkers, mostly from World War II and the Cold War era, capable of sheltering 480.000 people. This is a decrease from around 2.000 bunkers in the past.
The spokesperson stated that key aspects of the plan were agreed upon at a conference of senior officials in June and are being reviewed by a dedicated task force.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, concerns have grown about Moscow’s potential to target other NATO members. In October, German intelligence chiefs warned that Russia is likely to be capable of launching an attack on the military alliance by 2030.
German officials have also reported a sharp increase in Russian espionage and sabotage activities. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the conflict in Ukraine as having “global” war characteristics and did not rule out strikes on Western countries
