Switzerland plans to renovate Cold War-era nuclear bunker network

2024-12-13 21:47:07, Kosova & Bota CNA

Switzerland plans to refurbish its network of aging nuclear-attack-resistant bunkers, which are increasingly valued now that global uncertainty has increased, especially after Russia's large-scale attack on Ukraine. Thanks to a 1963 law, Switzerland is now ahead of neighbors like Germany. Its 9 million inhabitants, including foreigners and refugees, are guaranteed a place in a bunker to protect them from bombs and nuclear radiation.

"In the coming years, the Swiss Confederation wants to remove some of the restrictions from the current rules and renovate some of the older bunkers," Louis-Henri Delarageaz, civil defense commander for the canton of Vaud, told Reuters news agency.

In October, the government launched consultations to make possible the "security" of Switzerland "in the event of an armed conflict" and plans to update the old structures with a budget of 250 million dollars.

"It doesn't mean I'm preparing for conflict, no, that's not the message, but we want to have a safe shelter network and we have to maintain the bunkers and make sure they're functional," says Louis-Henri Delarageaz .

In the village of Bercher, in the canton of Vaud, civil defense officers checked a bunker under a block of flats as part of a mandatory inspection every ten years.

After the inspection, the head of the inspection group, Gregory Fuhrer, assessed that in its current state, the bunker was unusable.

"The owner of the apartment block will be given a one-year deadline to fix the defects, otherwise he must pay $900 for each resident in a public bunker," he said.

Since 1815 when the neutrality of Switzerland was recognized, this country has not been involved in foreign wars.

It was occupied by France in the 18th century and suffered several aerial bombings during World War II.

The civil defense commander for the canton of Vaud, Louis-Henri Delarageaz, said that after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the office he heads faced an increase in phone calls from concerned residents seeking information on the bunkers.

"Suddenly many people were picking us up and asking us, 'where are the bunkers, where is my place, is my shelter ready?' he said, adding that requests from French citizens for a place in the bunker had to be rejected.

While most Swiss have private bunkers, some rely on community bunkers. Near Mr Delarageaz's office is one of the 350 such bunkers in the canton of Vaud. The bunkers are well maintained, with bunk beds and toilets.

Nearby is an underground command center, an underground hospital with an operating theater and decontamination showers as well as a bunker to protect works of art.