Germany is drawing up “bunker plans” for places that could be used as nuclear shelters as the country “braces for World War Three”.
Underground car parks and subway stations could be converted into emergency shelters, as tensions with Russia and the West continue to drastically rise.
Berlin has been a key ally to Kyiv since Putin’s invasion in February 2022, and consistently donated to its war-efforts.
Now as Russia’s relationship to Russia is in ruins, Germany is looking to shore up its own domestic defence.
Germany is drawing up 'bunker plans' for places that could be used as nuclear shelters
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Authorities are creating a database of all available bunkers and shelters, which will also include state buildings and private properties.
Users will be able to find the directory using a mobile app, The Guardian reports.
People will also be encouraged to make shelters in their own homes by using basements and garages, a ministry spokesperson said.
He did not give a timetable, stating that the large project would take some time to coordinate.
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Underground car parks and subway stations could be converted into emergency shelters
Wikimedia Commons
The initiative involves the Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, as well as other authorities.
The European country previously had around 2,000 operational bunkers during conflicts such was World War Two and the height of the Cold War, however now, this number has dwindled to 579.
Germany has a population of 84million people and the remaining shelters only have a capacity of around 480,000.
Earlier this week, a top Nato military official urged companies to prepare for a wartime scenario.
Russian tank firing shells in Ukraine warREUTERS/CCTVAdmiral Rob Bauer, chair of the Nato military committee, said: “Business leaders in Europe and America need to realise that commercial decisions they make, have strategic consequences for the security of their nation.
“Businesses need to be prepared for a war-time scenario and adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly.”
Elsewhere, Ukraine’s former military chief has claimed that “World War Three has already begun”, with China, Iran, and North Korea now “standing openly beside Putin”.
Valery Zaluzhny, the ex-commander-in-chief who was sacked by Volodymyr Zelensky, said that the involvement of Russia’s allies means the conflict is now on a global scale.
“I believe that in 2024 we can absolutely believe that the Third World War has begun,” said Zaluzhny, who is now Ukraine's envoy to the UK.
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