Vilnis Kirsis, the mayor of the capital Riga, said: “We call on everyone during the big clean-up, but also afterwards, to ensure that your cellars and your basements can be used as shelters in case of emergencies.”
Mr Kirsis said government buildings in the city would also have their underground spaces turned into shelters in a private communique to city officials.
Latvia, a member of both Nato and the European Union, shares a 132-mile border with Russia, and has warned of an increasing threat of attack from Moscow since its invasion of Ukraine.
# 100 shelters each month
The head of Riga’s civil defence commission has told local broadcasters that 100 shelters will be prepared each month until the end of the year.
Gints Reinsons told TV24: “The basements of public buildings, schools, retirement homes, hospitals and town halls will be inspected by the authorities who will prepare them to serve as hiding places in the event of an attack.”
Nato generals believe that any Russian attack on the Western military alliance could start with air strikes on the former Soviet republics in the Baltics.
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are considered among the most likely targets if Putin decides to test the resolve of Nato’s Western members.
It’s definitely a complex situation with a lot of factors at play. Sometimes it’s hard to grasp the full picture from the outside. Geopolitical motivations, historical tensions, and domestic politics could all be influencing Russia’s actions. It’s a reminder that there’s often more to international relations than meets the eye.
npaakp34 on
Cold war moment. Scary.
codefoudre on
Highly unlikely. Latvia is a NATO country.
FilmDazzling3551 on
Молодцы, готовьтесь 🙂 скоро будем у вас в гостях
Suntouo on
in case russia attacks latvians better worry about bordering a massive nuclear wasteland
Ignash-3D on
Good
playdeaf86 on
Weirdly there is nothing about this on the Latvian news sites. Why do I hear about it from the Telegraph..
8 Comments
***The Telegraph reports:***
[Latvia has urged](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/16/russian-threat-to-go-beyond-putin-era-says-latvian-leader/) its citizens to convert their basements into air-raid shelters amid fears that the Baltics could be Vladimir Putin’s [next target](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/30/nato-get-ready-for-russia-to-invade-baltic-ambassadors-warn/).
Vilnis Kirsis, the mayor of the capital Riga, said: “We call on everyone during the big clean-up, but also afterwards, to ensure that your cellars and your basements can be used as shelters in case of emergencies.”
Mr Kirsis said government buildings in the city would also have their underground spaces turned into shelters in a private communique to city officials.
Latvia, a member of both Nato and the European Union, shares a 132-mile border with Russia, and has warned of an increasing threat of attack from Moscow since its invasion of Ukraine.
# 100 shelters each month
The head of Riga’s civil defence commission has told local broadcasters that 100 shelters will be prepared each month until the end of the year.
Gints Reinsons told TV24: “The basements of public buildings, schools, retirement homes, hospitals and town halls will be inspected by the authorities who will prepare them to serve as hiding places in the event of an attack.”
Nato generals believe that any Russian attack on the Western military alliance could start with air strikes on the former Soviet republics in the Baltics.
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are considered among the most likely targets if Putin decides to test the resolve of Nato’s Western members.
Earlier this year, Margus Tsahkna, Estonia’s foreign minister, said [the Baltics](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/30/baltic-states-on-europes-new-frontline-nato-britain/) had three to four years to strengthen their defences for a Russian “test” of Nato.
**Read more:** [**https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/04/29/latvia-baltics-air-raid-shelters-russian-threat/**](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/04/29/latvia-baltics-air-raid-shelters-russian-threat/)
It’s definitely a complex situation with a lot of factors at play. Sometimes it’s hard to grasp the full picture from the outside. Geopolitical motivations, historical tensions, and domestic politics could all be influencing Russia’s actions. It’s a reminder that there’s often more to international relations than meets the eye.
Cold war moment. Scary.
Highly unlikely. Latvia is a NATO country.
Молодцы, готовьтесь 🙂 скоро будем у вас в гостях
in case russia attacks latvians better worry about bordering a massive nuclear wasteland
Good
Weirdly there is nothing about this on the Latvian news sites. Why do I hear about it from the Telegraph..