Russian authorities have put up digital billboards in Moscow that instruct citizens on how to prepare a "survival kit" in case of an attack, according to local media reports.
A clip of an electronic billboard telling citizens how to put together a survival kit was first published on social media on Sunday by news outlet "Caution, Moscow" on Telegram. It said the billboard video was posted officially by Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations, and cited local residents near Moscow's Gorky Park as saying that it is instructing people on what to do "in case of chemical and nuclear attacks."
The billboard instructions posted by the news outlet do not include the terms "nuclear attack" or "chemical attack," and it's unclear whether there is more to the clip than was published by Caution, Moscow or if there are other billboard announcements to which Muscovites are referring. Newsweek has contacted Russian authorities for comment.
It came as reports emerged that the Kremlin has ordered bomb shelters to be upgraded throughout Russia. The Moscow Times reported in February that current and former Russian officials have said the Kremlin ordered inspections and repairs on shelters and bunkers amid rising fears that the country could be targeted by strikes during its war with Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ramped up nuclear rhetoric months into his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in September 2022, after he proclaimed to have annexed four partially controlled Ukrainian regions. Nobody has publicly issued nuclear threats against Russia. More recently, he has sought to portray the planned provision of depleted uranium shells to Ukraine's forces as a "significant escalation" in the war, falsely claiming that they are weapons with a nuclear component. The International Atomic Energy Agency said depleted uranium is "considerably less radioactive than natural uranium."
The billboard screen shows detailed instructions on how to assemble an emergency suitcase, or a survival kit.
"Contents of a survival kit: a first aid kit, hand or head flashlight and battery supplies, hunting matches, dry alcohol, gas, cell phone, radio, and battery supplies, utility knife, repair kit (threads, and needles, food and water supply ( for a minimum of three days), disposable tableware, personal hygiene products, and a change of underwear," it reads.
The billboard tells onlookers to visit the ministry website for more information.
A Moscow news outlet, msk1.ru, quoted the ministry as confirming that the video is official. The ministry declined to elaborate on why it had gone up.
There have been a series of incidents on Russian soil Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
On March 23, a fire broke out on the territory of a Russian factory that manufactures equipment for the country's army. There have also been multiple reports of drone attacks deep inside Russia in recent months.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said last week the ministry plans to update anti-missile defense systems in Moscow.
"This year we will complete the modernization of the anti-missile defense systems of the city of Moscow," Shoigu said in an address to military officials on March 22, according to Agence France-Presse.
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Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
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