Latvia plans to arrange over 3,000 shelters and 12,000 temporary shelters in the near future, allocating a minimum of 98 million euros annually for this purpose from 2025 to 2034, according to LSM.
According to calculations provided, the average capacity of a shelter is 200 people, while temporary shelters can accommodate 100 people each. Thus, 3,120 shelters will protect 624,000 individuals, and 12,490 temporary shelter spots will protect 1.249 million residents of the country.
The Latvian Ministry of the Interior's project outlines possible sources of funding for shelter repairs, including funds from the European Union, a state support program from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, municipal investment project applications for loans from the state budget, and others.
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa has stated that this year, special signs will appear in the country indicating the locations of updated shelters.
Threats to Latvia from Russia
In recent years, Russian officials have periodically made controversial statements that could be interpreted as preparing Russia for war with the Baltic countries. Against this backdrop, Sweden intends to deploy its troops to Latvia shortly, along with armored personnel carriers and Leopard tanks. These forces are expected to be operational from the beginning of next year.
To minimize the threat from Russia, during the voting days of the presidential elections in Russia, the police in Riga checked the documents of 1,001 individuals at the Russian embassy. It is noted that 24 individuals were found to have expired residence permits. The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs of Latvia has decided to issue requirements for four of them to leave the country independently within 30 days.
