One of the potential solutions for creating bomb shelters in Latvia could be the use of mobile shelters, acknowledged Minister of the Interior Rihards Kozlovskis (New Unity).
Speaking at the opening of the Ministry of the Interior’s Industry Day 2025 on Thursday, Kozlovskis emphasized the need to improve the civil protection system, including the creation of a shelter system. He admitted that Latvia had made a mistake in the past by abandoning the idea of establishing such a system. Given that adapted shelters within buildings cannot be created overnight, he pointed to mobile shelters as a possible solution.
After his address, Kozlovskis told the LETA news agency that there are clearly locations in Latvia where such a solution could be necessary—such as near public institutions. However, the minister noted that he has not yet studied in detail the capacity or cost of available mobile shelters on the market.
At the same time, he stressed that building shelters is a complex solution, and EU funding could potentially be attracted for the development of such mobile shelters.
During the Industry Day, the construction and manufacturing holding company UPB presented a prototype of a mobile reinforced concrete shelter. Company representatives told LETA that active design work began a year ago and that the company already has experience with concrete barriers—such as “dragon’s teeth” installed at the state border.
This type of shelter can be delivered and assembled in a matter of hours. It could provide protection not only for passersby, but also house a medical station or serve as a storage facility, the representatives explained.
In mid-March, the Saeima (Latvian Parliament) approved in the first reading amendments to the Civil Protection and Disaster Management Law, which would mandate the construction of shelters for certain types of buildings and introduce regulation for the establishment, adaptation, and use of shelters in times of war or disaster.
Currently, there is no binding legal act in Latvia that regulates the creation, adaptation, or use of shelters in the event of military conflict or catastrophe.
The draft law prepared by the Ministry of the Interior proposes categorizing shelters into three types.