Despite the fact that the war in Ukraine has been ongoing for four years, there are still no clear answers in Latvia to many questions related to civil security. One of them is how to act if an air raid signal is received during a mass event.
This topic was discussed on the TV24 program "Preses klubs," where experts and participants expressed concerns about both the state's preparedness and the public's awareness, writes the NRA portal.
Musician and entrepreneur Miks Galvanovskis noted that alongside security issues, it is necessary to think about the effective use of resources. In his opinion, it is important to seek solutions that will make the neutralization of drones cheaper and more technologically efficient.
A similar viewpoint was expressed by the chairman of the board of the Latvian Association of Real Estate Transactions, the head of Arco Real Estate, Aigars Šmits. He believes that the experience of modern military conflicts clearly shows the significance of drones; however, outdated notions of defense still prevail in Latvia.
"A drone costing several hundred euros is shot down by a missile costing hundreds of thousands of euros. The economy must remain economical," emphasized Šmits.
He also expressed bewilderment as to why cheaper interception means and local technological solutions that could help in the fight against drones are not more widely used in the country.
The public does not know how to act
Particularly alarming to the discussion participants is the lack of information about actions in emergency situations.
Galvanovskis noted that it is unclear what will happen if an air raid signal sounds during a concert, city celebration, or other public event.
"It has not been discussed how to act in such situations. People simply do not know what to do," he said.
Aigars Šmits agreed that the public has not been provided with sufficiently specific instructions.
"We discuss and analyze, but there is still no clear practical action plan in case of a threat," he emphasized.
Criticism of crisis preparedness
Lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Latvia Liga Lejtane expressed the opinion that the state has long neglected the risks associated with drones.
According to her, a more serious response only began after alarm signals were sounded in certain regions of Latvia.
"For many years, society was led to believe that everything was fine, but reality forces us to ask uncomfortable questions," noted Lejtane.
She also believes that there are various relatively inexpensive ways to neutralize drones that should be developed.
Shelters remain a sensitive topic
During the discussion, the issue of civil defense infrastructure was also raised. Aigars Šmits noted that the capacity of shelters in the largest cities of Latvia is still insufficient.
According to him, the situation is complicated by the issue of funding: if new residential projects are to include a mandatory requirement to build shelters, it will be necessary to determine who will pay for it.
"There is talk of new requirements, but people still do not know how to act in the event of a real crisis," he admitted.
Discussion participants agreed that alongside technical solutions and investments in defense, it is necessary to inform the public much more actively. In their opinion, people should know in advance how to act in the event of an air threat, regardless of whether they are at home, at work, or at a mass event.
