The war in Ukraine has brought back into conversation and into the news a threat that seemed distant for several decades: the risk of nuclear war. In Switzerland, we did not wait for the Russian invasion to give credit to this disaster scenario. Since the 1960s, fallout shelters have been mandatory in all new construction. Today there are 365,000 in the country, which is enough to shelter the entire population in the event of a bombardment.
With the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, these shelters experienced a resurgence of interest. The order book of the company Abriprotect, which specializes in the construction and renovation of underground shelters, bears witness to this. “There is a lot of panic that has set in and people are really terrified”, says Christian Sinigaglia, the director of the company. His phone hasn’t stopped ringing for several weeks. Each time, on the phone, people worried about whether their shelter is still up to standard.
“They’re like, ‘God, this is war, we have to get our shelter up and running. Where do I go if anything happens?’ The war has rushed things and people want it ready quickly.”
Christian Sinigaglia, director of Abriprotectat franceinfo
But what do these shelters look like? franceinfo was able to visit one, under a residence on the Franco-Swiss border. You have to imagine three large reinforced concrete rooms, capable of accommodating 200 people and closed by armored doors. They are supposed to withstand a bombardment but not necessarily rust. “It’s starting to rust behind the joints and inside”describe Christian Sinigaglia. “It’s good to do it now because rust is the cancer of metal. It must therefore be stopped as soon as possible to prevent it from degenerating.”
Renovating this type of shelter is expensive, especially if it has not been maintained regularly: we are talking about several thousand or even tens of thousands of euros for the older ones. The war in Ukraine acted as a wake-up call for the Swiss, who had hitherto been more accustomed to using their fallout shelters as… wine cellars.
But the Swiss are not the only ones interested in fallout shelters. Indeed, Abriprotect is often called upon abroad to build bunkers, such as in Spain and the Middle East, among others. France is also beginning to get involved, but not for the same reasons. “We have a big market with France in relation to nuclear power plants. A lot of shelters have been built, especially in the Rhône valley.” The State of Geneva itself considers that its population is endangered by the French power plant in Bugey, considered to be too dilapidated. The Swiss canton has also filed an appeal with the French courts to request its closure.
The feeling of insecurity also pushes some French people to equip themselves. “It’s what we call in the United States a ‘panic room’, which can be used in the event of burglary or assault.explains Christian Sinigaglia. People can also use this shelter as a safe to store the valuables they leave in their second home. There’s a market there.”