Baltic companies have been approaching Ukrainian defense manufacturers and civil defense experts in recent weeks to discuss purchasing shelters.
Politico writes about this, citing the words of the Director General of the Ukrainian Defense Industry Council Ihor Fedirko.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told Politico that his country has long been prepared for Russian attacks and has sufficient experience to protect its people. A Lithuanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said they had no information about discussions on shelters, but “the experience gained in Ukraine is very valuable to strengthen preparedness in Lithuania”.
CEO of a large Ukrainian steel producer “Metinvest” Yuriy Ryzhenkov said the company had held preliminary talks with the governments of the Baltic countries about building shelters to protect against potential drone attacks.
Growing anxiety has affected property markets in the Baltics. In Vilnius, basements and fortified underground spaces have appeared on property listings since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. They are being advertised as potential shelters in case of shelling or drone attacks.
Drone crashes in the Baltics
In recent months, drones have increasingly entered the airspace of Northern European countries. For example, on the night of May 7, two drones from Russia entered Latvian airspace. One of the downed drones hit empty tanks at an oil depot in the city of Rezekne.
Latvia subsequently launched an investigation, and Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds resigned. He explained that he made the decision to protect the Latvian army from being “drawn into a political campaign”. The country’s Prime Minister Evika Silinė also resigned.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha later stated that the drones that flew into Latvia were Ukrainian. They deviated from their course due to Russian electronic warfare (EW) equipment.
On May 13, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Ukraine was sending its experts to Latvia and Lithuania to help protect their airspace.
On May 18, Lithuanian residents discovered the remains of a drone with explosives in a field, which was defused on the spot. The countryʼs Defense Ministry believes that the drone was Ukrainian.
On May 20, Lithuaniaʼs president and prime minister were urgently evacuated to underground bunkers and Vilnius residents were urged to take cover after a drone violated the countryʼs airspace. The Lithuanian Defense Ministry said the drone was spotted near the border with Belarus.
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