*Paromita Das
According to the New York Times, Europe has been on pins and needles over an oncoming nuclear war since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
It goes on to say that bunkers, survival guides, and iodine pills are selling like hotcakes. Minus Energie, an Italian firm has received over 500 queries for bunkers in the last two weeks.
As part of its hard sell, the company gives prospective customers a video tour of a nuclear bunker that is “ready to use” and includes an underground air filtration system that “cleans” radioactive particles, nerve gas, and other biological agents.
“It’s mania for bunker construction,” a firm spokeswoman said, citing the dread of Russian nuclear bombs having consequences across Europe, which has been gripped by worry since President Vladimir V. Putin declared his nuclear forces to be in “special combat readiness.”
With the history of two great wars, it is understandable that Europe is wary of leaving anything to chance. As a result, its recent pandemic emphasis has switched away from masks, vaccines, and lockdowns and toward bunkers, iodine pills, and air-raid sirens.
The shadow of nuclear war, which had appeared a relic of the past, is infiltrating a new generation of European consciousness, from Italy to Sweden, Belgium to Britain. According to the New York Times, it is spurring a new look at defense infrastructure, survival guides, and fallout shelters that were formerly the domain of camouflage-wearing, assault-weapon-toting survivalists or paranoid millionaires.
“We are deeply worried about the threats to nuclear safety, security, and safeguards posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the European Union said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Think of it as a chalet, but underground,” said Mathieu Séranne, founder of Artemis Protection, a French manufacturer of prefabricated luxury bunkers with air-filtration systems that cost at least 500,000 euros each shelter.
Almost all of the about 650 bunkers in use in Britain after WWII were no longer operational; several had become tourist attractions, and at least one had been converted into a magnificent wine cellar. According to the New York Times, the few who remained in the workforce worked for government authorities.
Others outside the bunkers are seeking protection from iodine pills, which, when taken appropriately, can help absorb radiation in the thyroid and help prevent cancer from radiation exposure.
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