- The mayor of Riga, the capital of Latvia, warned the country to be prepared
- He said Latvians should be prepared to take shelter in their cellars
- Latvia is feared to be at the top of Putin’s list of next targets
Latvian officials have warned the country’s citizens to convert their basements into air raid shelters, fearing Vladimir Putin will set his sights on the Baltic states if we win his battle against Ukraine.
Vilnis Kirsis, the mayor of Lativa’s capital Riga, warned his compatriots to prepare to take shelter in their cellars.
“We call on everyone during the spring cleaning, but also afterwards, to ensure that your cellars and basements can be used as shelters in case of emergency,” he said.
It is feared that Latvia, along with neighbors Estonia and Lithuania, will be at the top of Putin’s priority list if his invasion of Ukraine succeeds.
The nations are working to strengthen their defenses as Riga’s Civil Protection Commission begins preparations for shelters in public buildings in the city.
Gints Reinsons, head of the committee, said the city would prepare 100 shelters every month until the end of the year.
Vilnis Kirsis (photo), the mayor of Riga, the capital of Lativa, warned his compatriots to prepare to take shelter in their cellars
It is feared that Latvia, along with neighbors Estonia and Lithuania, will be at the top of Putin’s priority list if his invasion of Ukraine succeeds
The nations are working to strengthen their defenses, with Riga’s Civil Protection Commission beginning preparations for shelters in public buildings across the city
“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 shelters in case of an attack,” he told local media.
The three Baltic states, all part of the NATO defense bloc, all agreed to set up their own defense line on their borders with Russia and Belarus, which is allied with Russia, as Putin’s forces increasingly show aggression in the region. .
Each of them agreed to develop ‘anti-mobility defense installations’ on their eastern borders, with the new measures to be called the Baltic Defense Line.
“The Russian war in Ukraine has shown that in addition to equipment, ammunition and manpower, we also need physical defense structures on the border from the first meter to protect Estonia,” Hanno Pevkur, Estonian Defense Minister, said at the time.
Latvia agreed to invest 303 million euros over the next five years to strengthen its borders.
It will excavate dozens of existing roads near the border, build anti-tank ditches along these roads and place minefields and ‘dragon’s teeth’ blocks to prevent tanks from making progress.
Last month, Lithuania pledged to spend at least 3% of its GDP on defense from 2025, with the motion supported by two-thirds of the country’s parliament.
The country spent 2.8% of GDP on defense in 2023 and is expected to spend the same this year.
Lithuania will use the extra money in part to prepare to permanently host 5,000 German troops from 2027, in a sign of increased military cooperation among allies on the continent.