Russia’s Leningrad Region Converts Basements to Bomb Shelters Amid Nuclear Fears

Authorities in Russia’s Leningrad region have announced plans to convert underground spaces, including basements of apartment buildings, into bomb shelters to protect its 2 million residents “in the event of an emergency,” reported regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko on November 21.

“There’s no time for disputes now,” Drozdenko wrote on Telegram, emphasizing the need for immediate repairs and preparations for the shelters.

The regional crisis center is expected to formalize this decision soon, equipping the shelters either permanently or temporarily.

The Leningrad region surrounds St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, and while Governor Drozdenko did not specify the urgency behind the announcement, it follows a significant escalation in Russia’s military posture.

Earlier, Putin updated Russia’s nuclear doctrine, lowering the threshold for deploying nuclear weapons—a move many analysts view as a response to the US allowing Ukraine to strike Russian targets with long-range ATACMS and UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.

The announcement coincides with reports from Ukrainian officials, stating that Russia fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) targeting Dnirpo for the first time in history.

The Leningrad region’s administrative center, Gatchina, located roughly 500 miles (800 kilometers) north of the Ukrainian border, has been targeted by Ukrainian drones over the past year.

However, it remains outside the operational range of US-provided ATACMS and UK-provided Storm Shadow missiles.

Earlier, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh stated that Russia used the intermediate-range ballistic missile “Oreshnik,” based on the RS-26 “Rubezh” intercontinental ballistic missile to strike Dnipro on November 21.