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Germany making list of bomb shelters for new app as tensions with Russia rise

27 November 2024, 09:51 | Updated: 27 November 2024, 11:14

Germany is drawing up a list of bunkers for a new app to help civilians find emergency shelter amid increasing tensions with Russia.

Residents are also being encouraged to turn garages and basements into bomb shelters as part of a new review of suitable locations.

Underground car parks, train stations and government buildings could also be converted - while a special app is being developed to help direct people to their nearest shelter during an emergency, according to the German interior ministry.

A government spokesperson did not make any reference to the potential threat from Russia or other nations - and also did not reveal when the project would be ready.

Bild newspaper, which first reported on the so-called "bunker plan", said officials were working on the project in response to the worsening international threat.

Civil protection organisations in Germany have been calling for a faster expansion of shelters, including structures which can quickly and safely accommodate 5,000 people.

Germany is said to currently have 579 public shelters with capacity for around 480,000 people.

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The country has been increasingly focused on defence on its own soil since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 raised fears of a wider escalation on the European continent.

Under Operation Plan Germany, the federal and state governments, army, security authorities and emergency services are working together on how to defend the country in the event of a conflict.

Earlier this week, a top NATO military official urged businesses to prepare for a wartime scenario and adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly, in order to be less vulnerable to blackmail from countries such as Russia and China.