In light of incidents involving drone attacks on targets in the Baltic states, local authorities have turned to Ukraine for expertise in building bomb shelters, Politico reports.
According to Igor Fedirko, the head of one of Ukraine's leading defense industry groups, Baltic companies have been reaching out to Ukrainian defense product manufacturers and civil protection experts in recent weeks to discuss the construction of bomb shelters.
"Yes, it’s true," said Fedirko, the CEO and Executive Director of the Ukrainian Defense Industry Council, in an interview with the publication on the sidelines of the GLOBSEC forum held from May 21 to 23 in Prague.
"These are not large countries. They are trying to find the best solutions against Russian aggression if it occurs. To keep their people alive and unharmed," he noted.
Discussions about bomb shelters reflect growing concern on NATO's eastern flank regarding the scale and intensity of Russia's drone campaign against Ukraine – as well as fears that even a limited invasion or attack with troop redeployments could overwhelm defensive forces in the early stages of the conflict.
Yuriy Ryzhenkov, the CEO of the large Ukrainian steel producer Metinvest, stated that his company has held preliminary talks with the governments of the Baltic states about building shelters to protect against potential drone attacks.
The recent increase in drone incursions into the Baltic states – including Ukrainian drones that veered off course, reportedly due to Russian interference – has heightened interest in Ukrainian experience.
"Building a bomb shelter is within everyone's reach, but the value lies in tactical knowledge," Ryzhenkov emphasized.
Baltic officials are concerned that the small territories of their countries and concentrated urban populations leave virtually no margin for safety in the event of a large-scale attack.
Amid heightened combat readiness, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU Commissioner for Defense arrived in Lithuania on Tuesday for a meeting with Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs and other leaders of the Baltic states.
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