Fearing a Russian attack, Swedes are buying up nuclear bomb shelters dating back to the Cold War, says The Guardian. The country’s government has called for preparations for a possible war and is allocating money to check the surviving bunkers.
Bunkers built in the 1970s are growing in popularity in the Swedish property market, says The Guardian. The construction of private nuclear shelters for the rich in case the situation in Europe escalates is also flourishing. Since the beginning of the SMO and after the country joined NATO, many people began to fear an attack from Russia.
Bomb shelters began to appear in Sweden during World War II, but most were built during the Cold War. They are most often located under residential buildings, schools and gymnasiums, and can hold up to 16,000 people in large cities. The authorities ended the programme in 2002 and since then the network of 64,000 bunkers, which can shelter 7 million people, has become obsolete, although in theory they can be used.
The government in January urged the public to prepare for possible war and is taking a keen interest in inspecting surviving bomb shelters. The Civil Emergency Agency has received 100,000 kroner (almost €4,000) to increase inspections of existing bunkers.