NITRA: The war in neighboring Ukraine feels distant to many in the Slovak city of Nitra but the local council is preparing for the worst and revamping its Cold War-era nuclear fallout shelters.
Which says much about how the frontline Central European nation — which has so far been spared the Russian drones that sparked air raid alerts in Poland and Moldova — sees the war just over its eastern border.
Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and opposes sending military aid to Ukraine, insists Slovaks have nothing to fear from Russia.
But with the war uncomfortably close to home, his government has vowed to double the capacity of the shelters.
Like many in Nitra, a five-hour drive from the Ukrainian border, businessman Mario Papek doesn’t think there is much to worry about.
