Russia quietly checks its bomb shelters as war fears spread

In the latest reflection of the Kremlin’s expanding war effort, bomb shelters across Russia are being brought back to life after more than three decades of neglect since the end of the Cold War.

State workers are quietly checking basements and other protected facilities, repairing and cleaning installations not used since the Soviet era, according to people familiar with the efforts.

The moves are part of a broader push by authorities to make sure civil-defense infrastructure is ready in case of a wider conflict, people familiar with the situation said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss matters that aren’t public.

The campaign hasn’t been officially announced and isn’t driven by any particular threats or plans to make use of the civil-defense infrastructure, the people said. But after the Kremlin’s sudden call-up of 300,000 reservists starting in September was plagued by bureaucratic bungles and setbacks, the authorities are taking no chances with other war-related preparations.

The bomb-shelter drive is another example of how the invasion, now in its ninth month, is triggering a broader militarization of Russian society. Kremlin officials portray the war as an existential one between Russia and the US, a characterization Washington rejects. Russian education officials this week said they would reinstate Soviet-era basic military training in schools across the country starting next year.

“This looks like a federal order,” said Mikhail Vinogradov, analyst at the St. Petersburg Politics Foundation. “But it could also be an effort by all these civil-defense agencies to demonstrate their usefulness and that they’re actually doing something.”

Ukraine doesn’t appear to have struck targets in Russia beyond zones near the border and officials in Kyiv say their goal is only to drive Kremlin troops from their territory. The US and its allies have limited supplies to Ukraine of some offensive and long-range weapons.

—Bloomberg