Latvia, one of the Baltic countries, has historically been a delicacy for Russia. Against the background of the growing aggression of the Kremlin, the authorities began to take actual steps to prepare for possible military actions. Equipment and improvement of shelters are already underway.
An alarming legacy
After leaving the USSR, a census of bunkers was conducted in Latvia. At the end of 1991, the State Fire and Rescue Service provided a report on 311 bomb shelters, which were kept on balance for more than 20 years.
The situation changed in 2008-2009. The country fully felt the consequences of the global economic crisis, so the status of civil defense facilities was removed from several shelters. Some began to be used for a new purpose, while in other shelters, the ventilation system was not maintained in good condition, etc.
A game in advance
Looking at how the occupation of Mariupol, Kherson, and other cities of Ukraine took place, the Latvian authorities decided to prepare methods of protecting the civilian population, and the capital – Riga – was the first.
Preparation is divided into three stages:
– inventory and determination of the number of bunkers that can be used;
– assessment of their condition;
– staffing with what is needed in the first place.
Executive Director of the capital Janis Lange reported that the following has already been purchased:
– 184 clamshells;
– 228 mattresses;
– 342 pillows.
All this was carried out within the framework of the order on a material and technical reserve of civil defense.
Currently, the city government of the capital is at the stage of developing a large-scale civil defense plan. Recruitment for additional positions of specialists in this field is ongoing. It is also planned to create a unified system for managing emergencies of various origins, from military threats to natural disasters.
