Baltic states turn to Ukraine for help building bomb shelters

Baltic states have been reaching out to Ukrainian defense manufacturers and civil protection experts in recent weeks to discuss building bomb shelters, Politico reported, citing Ihor Fedirko, director of the Ukrainian Council of Defense Industry.

“They are not huge countries. They’re trying to find the best solutions against the Russian aggression, if it will happen. To keep [their people] safe and sound,” Fedirko said.

Estonia’s Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told Politico that his country has long been preparing for possible Russian attacks and has sufficient expertise to protect its population. A spokesperson for Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry said the ministry had no information about negotiations over bomb shelters but noted that “experience gained in Ukraine is highly valuable.” Latvia’s Foreign Minister did not respond to a request for comment.

Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of Ukrainian manufacturer Metinvest, confirmed that his company had held preliminary talks with Baltic governments about building shelters to protect against possible drone attacks. “Anyone can build a bomb shelter, but what’s valuable is the tactical know-how,” he added.

In recent months, incidents involving drones entering the airspace of the Baltic states have become increasingly frequent. In Latvia, one crashed Ukrainian drone damaged an oil storage tank in the city of Rēzekne, near the Russian border. A series of drone-related incidents led to the resignation of the country’s defense minister, whose ministry failed to respond effectively to the threat, and was later followed by the collapse of the government.

In Lithuania, air raid alerts forced government officials and President Gitanas Nausėda to take shelter. After several such drone incursions, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha apologized to the Baltic states.