Lithuania publishes interactive map of bomb shelters amid drone threats

Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT has released an interactive map showing the locations of all designated bomb shelters across the country, as residents seek protection following recent drone incursions and air raid alerts.

The online tool allows users to check the nearest shelter in their municipality or district, with many structures located in residential basements, underground parking garages, tunnels, and public utility spaces. Some shelters are marked with official signage, while others—such as reinforced cellars or maintenance rooms—may lack visible indicators but still meet safety criteria.

What qualifies as a bomb shelter?

According to civil defence guidelines, shelters must provide short-term protection (up to several hours) from direct and indirect threats during aerial attacks, including shrapnel, blast waves, and stray gunfire. Suitable structures include:

• Basements of apartment buildings or public facilities
• Underground parking lots and garages
• Utility tunnels, subway passages, and pedestrian underpasses
• Reinforced storage rooms (non-flammable materials only)
• Sanitary facilities in industrial or sports complexes (e.g., locker rooms, showers)

When to seek shelter

Authorities urge residents to act immediately upon hearing the “Air Threat” civil defence siren, which operates on a three-tiered alert system:

• Yellow (“Likely Air Threat”): No confirmed hostile objects in Lithuanian airspace, but residents should identify a safe location and report suspicious activity to emergency services (112).
• Red (“Air Threat”): Unidentified objects are detected in or approaching Lithuanian airspace. Residents must move to the nearest shelter or, if unavailable, take cover in an interior room with thick walls, following the “two-wall rule.”
• White (“All Clear”): Threat has passed, but vigilance is advised.

In the absence of a designated shelter, officials recommend hiding in ditches, trenches, or any reinforced underground space. Residents are also advised to stay informed via the public broadcaster LRT and the national crisis portal LT72.lt.

The map’s publication follows multiple drone incidents in Lithuania this week, including a confirmed intrusion in Utena County on May 21 that triggered a temporary air threat alert. Local reports described families rushing to shelters after sirens sounded.