The people of Germany are increasingly afraid of the possibility spread of war in Europe after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In a poll last April on behalf of ARD Deutschlandtrend, 67% of respondents answered that they consider the threat to security and peace in Europe to be strong or very strong. This is an increase of 28% compared to February 2019. Mainly young people feel this fear more than climate change. And this emerges from a recent study “Youth in Germany”, which records trends. Almost 70% of respondents aged 14 to 29 fear war in Europe. For the first time the war becomes really palpable to the new generation. This is also due to the fact that Ukraine is geographically close. From Leipzig, for example, Kiev is only slightly more distant than Rome, just under 1,500 kilometers.

“Home Shelters”

As Spiegel reveals, a report by experts from the Ministry of the Interior, the Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Agency and the Real Estate Agency will be discussed at the meeting of the state interior ministers in Potsdam in the middle of the month. It analyzes the best way to protect citizens in case of war, in the light of a new concept of civil protection. Unlike during World War II, bombings that would destroy entire cities are not expected. That is why the population of Germany should not find protection in large public shelters. This is because they “offer no security against modern precision weapons, which destroy well-chosen targets of importance only to war, and in the event of an attack have a warning time of only a few minutes.” But what exactly do the experts recommend? “Rooms below ground level or within buildings could already protect against some of the potential hazards.” Another option would be so-called “domestic shelters”, i.e. cellars, rooms or spaces below ground level or inside buildings.

In fact, in order to improve the degree of protection, ways such as shielding the walls or temporarily covering the windows and openings of the basement are proposed… by people without technical training and on a voluntary basis. Experts also recommend Shelter Sharing, the sharing of these shelters, although “the majority of the population could set up shelters in their own spaces.” Ultimate goal “the creation of the largest possible number of self-protection spaces, which of course offer significantly less protection in case of nuclear, biological and chemical attacks”. In addition, protection options must be offered in urban centers for those “surprised by a military attack while on the move.” For this case suitable as buildings would be rooms in public buildings, department stores, underground garages, underground stations, tunnels.

Total defense guidelines

Experts have been calling for years for a revision of the existing concepts of the protection of the civilian population, and the group of experts gives concrete directions or alternatives to this now with its document. That the condition of the existing shelters is not good is an open secret. Of the 2,000 public shelters that once existed, 579 are still in operation today. Only 470,000 people could find shelter in them. However, these shelters may not be the best place to protect yourself. The report explicitly states that the accuracy and effectiveness of today’s weapons systems is “so great that a direct hit could destroy any type of shelter.” In other words, there is no complete protection against enemy attacks. But this does not reduce the state’s responsibility to design new protection measures and, given the poor condition of the classic shelters, the commission proposes something unusual: the conversion of private cellars into shelters. Experts estimate that around 210,100 larger shelters will need to be built to protect the roughly 85 million people who live in Germany. The total cost is estimated at 140.2 billion euros.

According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, the cabinet approves within the day measures of organization of the country in time of war. It is an 81-page document with guidelines for emergency situations. In such a case the powers of the chancellor will be increased, with the transfer to him of the powers of control and defence. The Minister of Defense will only be the head of the Bundeswehr administration. Another section deals with a series of more specific regulations, designed to keep the country running in an emergency. These include the storage of energy or food, as well as the obligation of the media to immediately broadcast government announcements and to warn. “For the first time in decades, Germany is under military threat” already mentioned in the first paragraph.