Although Ukraine was ill-prepared for the Russian aggression of February 2022, it has since reinforced all its passive defence and civilian protection systems, achieving a level of efficacy that has been admired the world over. A debate held by the Congress on 29 October showcased the country’s ever-growing expertise in this area, which could help European cities and regions anticipate crises caused by military or other attacks, or natural disasters.
Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson regional military administration, opened the debate on “Preparing European cities and regions for security crises” by presenting some of the measures that had been taken to limit the impact of Russian bombing and drone attacks on Kherson. Once one of Ukraine’s most prosperous regions, Kherson had become a symbol of the country’s resilience in the face of a war “that we had not expected”. A real “electronic wall” now enabled 95% of Russian drones to be destroyed, and demining techniques had evolved to the extent that minefields could be cleared in a matter of months, whereas it would have taken decades just a few years ago. Physical steps had been taken to fortify the city’s defences too, including the construction of 11 underground hospitals, as the main hospital had already been bombed 25 times. Burying power lines and using mobile generators had also ensured the necessary electricity supply. Prokudin said that Ukraine had reacted and adapted quickly to this particularly ruthless war, in which the enemy had “even attacked rescue workers and ambulances”. The country was ready to share the lessons of this dreadful experience with its European neighbours, who might face the same challenges one day.
Most countries woefully underprepared
“We are not prepared for this type of crisis, and our citizens are even less so”, said Georg Maier, the Minister of the Interior, Local Government and Regional Development for Thuringia (Germany), echoing the sentiments of many local and regional elected representatives. Although Thuringia had maintained or even stepped up its investment in disaster protection and improved co-ordination with the federal armed forces, these measures still fell far short of addressing all the security challenges it faced. Maier expressed particular concern about the risk of a large-scale cyberattack for which no one was really prepared and highlighted the risk of major attacks linked to the rise of extremist movements and “domestic threats”. Germany had also realised that it needed to improve its prevention of climate-related hazards after 2021 saw severe flooding in the Rhineland-Palatinate region with a particularly heavy death toll, partly due to the population being informed and evacuated too late.
Several German members of the Congress, including Soeren Schumacher (Germany, R, SOC/G/PD), voiced concerns about their fellow citizens’ lack of preparedness: “A recent siren drill in Hamburg revealed that people had absolutely no idea how to react,” he said. During the Cold War – that is to say, until the end of the 1980s – the German population had known the prevention and safety rules, but these seemed to have been totally forgotten today. Bernd Voehringer (Germany, L, EPP/CCE) also called for the public to receive proper training in this regard, as well as for the establishment of a discussion group on the issue.
Local and regional elected officials face a variety of threats
Christian Debève (France, R, ILDG) highlighted the Congress’s recent work on preventing environmental disasters at local and regional level. Informed by the earthquakes in Türkiye in 2023 and the fires in Spain, it included many proposals for local and regional elected representatives that could be applied to any large-scale disaster.
Kristoffer Tamsons (Sweden, R, EPP/CCE) said that showing solidarity with Ukraine was not only a moral obligation, but also a way of “sounding out” how other countries respond to crises. Stockholm was now holding regular security and emergency drills, as previous attacks had revealed shortcomings in its arrangements. Eliane Demollins-Schneiders (Netherlands, R, EPP/CCE) said that both citizens and local structures were vulnerable to cyberattacks. Several youth delegates also emphasised the importance of preventing environmental crises more effectively. For example, María Lertxundi Vaquero (Spain) said that “living in safety also means knowing how to be resilient in the face of climate change.” We must not forget the 229 people who lost their lives in the floods in Valencia in October 2024, nor the devastating wildfires that had swept through the Balkans last summer.
In his closing remarks, Oleksandr Prokudin issued a stark warning to those present. “You may think that war is something that only happens in far-off lands, but you’d be very much mistaken. Don’t wait until the missiles fall on your city, because the price of delay is death and destruction”.
