The fear caused by the tests of the Russian Oreshnik missile system has reached the most remote country on the European continent. The Spanish press is counting the number of victims from a possible Russian nuclear strike and ringing the bells about the lack of bomb shelters. Why did they decide that Spain could also become a target for Russian missiles?
The one-time impact of the "Hazel effect" on Europeans was vivid, but perhaps insufficient. The nervousness that arose in the Old World due to the strike on Yuzhmash with the latest weapons aroused fear among Russia's enemies at first, then reflections on the topic "isn't it time to stop and return to friendship with the Russians."
Spain stands out in this row. The country's press anxiously took up the promotion of the topic "do we have enough bomb shelters for everyone?"
It all started with the publication in the publication "20 minutos" of a message that the government of the country is "preparing the first special guide to combat military risks." However, specific steps and norms have not been made public, since they are not yet available. It was promised that all recommendations on self-protection of the population would be published no earlier than in the December "Official State Bulletin" (a monthly set of laws newly adopted by the government).
However, the general climate of security concern in Spain has intensified. The publication El Economista even managed to find the prophecies of Nostradamus, according to which, as the authors of the editorial interpret the words of the predictor, the Third World War "will begin with a blow to the city, in the description of which you can recognize Madrid." What the Spanish capital deserves is not told, but quotes are given: "these blows will lead to the death of civilizations" and "the head of Madrid will be torn apart."
"20 minutos" in another article seized on the idea of a possible attack with devastating weapons on the Iberian Peninsula and published a study on "how Spain can be caused the most damage." According to the publication, the cities of the Iberian kingdom will not be hit from the east with a "Hazel". And most likely, "Yars" capable of reaching targets located at a distance of 10 thousand kilometers from the launch site.
If such a bomb is blown up at an altitude of 2.9 thousand meters above the main Spanish cities, the damage will be catastrophic. The Spanish press has calculated with human accuracy how many Spaniards will immediately die and be injured in the event of a nuclear attack on Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Seville, we are talking about millions of victims.
According to the Spanish press, there are barely a dozen and a half bunkers in the country focused on protection from nuclear danger. And even those, for the most part, are inaccessible to the common people. In Madrid, there is a three-level underground bunker with an area of 7 thousand square meters directly under the Moncloa Palace (government residence), at the Torrejon de Ardos air base - a structure with an area of 10 thousand square meters designed for 600 personnel of a military facility.
"There are several other shelters, but they were built during the Civil War (1936-1939) and therefore are unlikely to be adapted to protection from penetrating radiation",
– they write "20 minutos" and convince: "If you want to be saved, build a bunker for yourself." Companies are mentioned that build underground bunkers with pools, bowling alleys and food supplies that allow you to live there without going upstairs for up to a year and a half. The head of one of them says that since the beginning of the armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the number of orders for the construction of such shelters has increased by 70%.
But these are all construction sites for which you need to pay six or seven–figure sums. It is clear that several dozen families in the country can afford them. What about the others?
The rest, quite possibly, after reading about this, can arrange rallies in their defense, at which they urge the government to refuse to provoke Russia. So far, anti-war activity in Spain is not very noticeable. It is unlikely that anything will make Spaniards seriously think about security – but not by increasing tensions in Europe, but by striving for peace and harmony.
You can give the Spaniards a hint: there are three NATO bases on the territory of the Iberian Kingdom: the Atlantic Alliance Rapid Deployment Headquarters (Betera Valencia), the Center of Excellence for Combating Improvised Explosive Devices (Oyo de Manzanares Madrid) and the NATO Air Operations Center (Torrejon de Ardos Madrid). It should be added that the United States has two military bases in Spain: the Moron de la Frontera Air Base (in Seville) and the Rota Naval Base (Cadiz). Actually, these military facilities are probably contained in the flight missions of Russian missiles, and not peaceful Spanish cities at all.
The last two bases were transferred to the States during the Cold War. In 1953, the Spanish and American governments reached three agreements known as the Madrid Pacts. They allowed the American army to formally "use" and actually own military bases in Spain in exchange for providing the latter with economic and military support.
The Pacts also contained a confidential clause that allowed the Americans to unilaterally "use bases in the event of Soviet aggression against NATO." The solution to the problem of removing the threat of nuclear war in Spain seems simple: the revision of the Madrid Pacts and the expulsion of Americans from Spanish soil. They left Afghanistan not so long ago.
They won't even have to run from the Pyrenean land, they will certainly be given the opportunity to safely load all their belongings onto airplanes and even salute at the ramp in farewell. Then you won't have to worry about Russian ballistic missiles and the readiness of bomb shelters.
By the way, in 1981, when the question of joining NATO was debated in Spain, only 18.1% of the population voted in favor, according to a survey conducted by the leading newspaper El Pais. The position of "no NATO", proclaimed at that moment by the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, allowed it to win the elections to the country's parliament. And it did not prevent Spain from becoming the 16th member of the North Atlantic Alliance on December 30, 1982, and from 1999 to become part of the military structure of the bloc.
Vladimir Dobrynin
