Germany has begun work on strengthening the cellars of buildings that serve as shelters, as well as increasing crisis stocks in case of war, the newspaper "Welt im Sonntag" reported on Saturday.

The Russian war in Ukraine led to a major shift in German politics, with Chancellor Olaf Schultz pledging to increase defense spending and inject 100 billion euros ($109 billion) into the military budget.

Interior Minister Nancy Visser told the newspaper that the government was also looking at modernizing public shelter systems, and would increase spending on civil protection.

"There are currently 599 public shelters in Germany. We will see if we can update more of these systems," she added.

Germany is working - according to the minister - on new concepts to enhance underground parking, subway stations and basements to become potential shelters, adding that the government has given the federal states 88 million euros to install new sirens.


Visser also said the country would also build up crisis stocks with supplies including medical equipment, protective clothing, protective masks or medicine.

This German position coincides with the intensification of the Russian war on Ukraine, where thousands of Ukrainians found refuge from Russian missiles in shelters.

Because the shelters are not enough to accommodate the entire population, thousands have taken refuge in the train stations to escape the constant bombardment.

And on Friday, Ukraine accused Russia of bombing the train station in Kramatorsk (east), which Moscow denied responsibility for.

The attack left more than 50 people dead, including children.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, considered that the missile attack on Kramatorsk constituted a grave violation of international law, and called for those responsible to be held accountable.


Guterres said it is absolutely unacceptable that the Kramatorsk railway station, the killing and wounding of dozens of civilians awaiting evacuation, including many women, children and the elderly, and other attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, is unacceptable.

Ukraine called on the international community to send more weapons to it, and impose tougher sanctions on Russia, which it blamed for the missile attack on the railway station, which was crowded with women, children and the elderly.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack on Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region as a deliberate attack on civilians.