In Estonia, the city of Paide became the first settlement to be completely covered by air raid sirens.

The Estonian Rescue Board, together with the IT and Development Centre of the Ministry of the Interior, is creating a national network of sirens to inform as many people as possible at the same time in dangerous crisis situations.

Estonia will use sirens along with additional methods of warning via telephone and information sites.

“Additional warnings may arrive with a delay after the sirens go off, so it is important that people’s first reaction to the sound of a warning siren is to take shelter,” the Ministry of the Interior says.

According to Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets, in the coming years, the government will allocate another €1.1 billion for national defense, of which almost a quarter will be invested in internal security, including protection of the population.

“The sirens can be used both nationally and locally, depending on the nature and scale of the crisis. They will never be used on their own, but only in conjunction with additional warning,” Martin Lambing, Deputy Director General of the Rescue Board, reported

According to him, the department plans to start testing the siren network next year and will analyze opportunities for further development.

The first aim is to install air raid sirens in 22 Estonian communities by the end of the year.

The sirens have been installed in over 15 settlements across the country.

In a settlement completely covered by sirens, when an alert is triggered, the sound will be heard in any part of the city.

Estonia also wants to introduce a requirement to design shelters in every large residential building or other type of institution.

In January, it was also reported that the Estonian government decided to build a defense line of approximately 600 concrete bunkers to repel possible Russian aggression.