Kulbergs faults emergency coordination after storm as Rinkevics urges Ukraine model
Wednesday 26th August 2026 on 12:15 in
Latvia
Latvia’s crisis management centre has stalled halfway through its development, while the country should consider adopting Ukraine’s experience in handling crises, President Edgars Rinkevics said on Wednesday, LSM reported. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said the recent storm exposed a “total lack of communication” between emergency services.
Kulbergs has convened a government Solutions meeting on September 4 to examine proposals, including those submitted by the president, on improving the services’ response to crises.
The prime minister recently returned from a visit to Ukraine, where he observed how the country manages crises. “I personally visited their Crisis Management Centre and saw that they have a storm like this every day,” Kulbergs said.
He said the recent storm showed a “total lack of communication” among the responsible services. The State Fire and Rescue Service, the Emergency Medical Service and the State Police have a shared building, but each uses a separate system that is not connected to the others. Communication between services is reportedly better in Ukraine.
Kulbergs said Ukraine was prepared to offer Latvia its technical solution free of charge in recognition of Latvia’s support in the fight against the aggressor.
The prime minister also criticised the authorities’ ability to inform the public, stressing that interruptions in communications must not be allowed. Radio should be the main source of public information during a crisis, he said.
The storm also exposed shortcomings in critical infrastructure. Trees growing too close to high-voltage lines fell onto them, while Kulbergs said a merger of Augstsprieguma tikls and Sadales tikls could be discussed to make their operations more efficient.
Referring to the failure of several petrol stations during power outages, Kulbergs pointed to Ukraine’s practice of requiring fuel retailers that have contracts with the state to maintain uninterrupted operations during a crisis.