The Baltic countries are interested in Ukraine's experience in building shelters — Politico
The Baltic states are actively studying Ukraine’s experience with civil defense and have initiated talks on acquiring underground shelters in response to massive attacks by Russian drones.
This is reported by Politico.
The recent increase in drone incursions into the region’s airspace has significantly heightened interest in the tactical expertise Kyiv has gained over more than four years of full-scale war.
Over the past few weeks, Baltic companies and government agencies have held a series of meetings with Ukrainian defense manufacturers and experts.
The main topic of discussion was the supply of compact and reliable bomb shelters for the civilian population.
As enemy drones increasingly violate the airspace of European Union countries, demand for Ukrainian know-how is growing rapidly.
Ihor Fedirko, CEO and Executive Director of the Ukrainian Defense Industry Council, officially confirmed this information during the GLOBSEC security forum in Prague.
He noted that Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are seeking the best solutions to defend their citizens in the event of a potential attack.
“Yes, that’s true,” Fedirko said in an interview with Politico on the sidelines of the GLOBSEC forum, which took place May 21–23 in Prague.
The agency head also added that the first hours of a potential aggression would indeed be the most dangerous for the region.
“We know they have evacuation mechanisms, so they are well-prepared,” Fedirko said. “But, as they well know, those first hours of aggression will be truly dangerous.”
The level of alert on NATO’s eastern flank has risen significantly following the emergency in Lithuania, where emergency security protocols were activated due to an aerial threat.
Last week, the president and prime minister of Lithuania were urgently evacuated to underground bunkers, and residents of Vilnius were urged to take cover after a drone violated the country’s airspace.
The country’s Ministry of Defense detected the drone near the border with Belarus, after which NATO mission aircraft were scrambled.
Military leaders emphasized that the incident is similar to those that have occurred in recent days in Latvia and Estonia.
Meanwhile, representatives of major Ukrainian businesses have also confirmed negotiations regarding the supply of steel structures.
Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of the major Ukrainian steel producer Metinvest, stated that his company had held early-stage negotiations with the governments of the Baltic states regarding the construction of shelters to protect against potential drone attacks.
According to him, foreign partners’ interest stems not simply from a need for metal, but specifically from the unique combat expertise of Ukrainians.
“Anyone can build a shelter, but tactical knowledge is what’s valuable,” Ryzhenkov said.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense published a detailed explanation of air raid alerts for citizens
The reason for the activation of the warning system in Romania was another Russian drone attack on Ukrainian port infrastructure on the Danube. It caused an increased danger near the Romanian border.
