Swiss pull out the stops for Ukraine summit security
The Hindu
Ukraine Peace Summit: Switzerland ramps up security for Ukraine summit, deploying troops, setting up fencing, and monitoring for cyberattacks and misinformation.
Switzerland is undertaking a major security operation around this weekend's summit on Ukraine, aiming to ward off not only physical threats but also cyberattacks and misinformation. With dozens of heads of state and government flying in for the gathering at the swanky Burgenstock resort overlooking Lake Lucerne, up to 4,000 troops are being deployed and a ring of steel has been put in place.
Around 6.5 kilometres of fencing and eight kilometres of barbed wire is going up, while the valley behind the exclusive hotel complex has been turned into a temporary military heliport.
"An event on this scale requires comprehensive protective measures," Swiss President Viola Amherd said ahead of the summit.
High on a mountain ridge, surrounded by water on three sides, the Burgenstock is relatively straightforward to seal off. More than 400 local residents with homes and farms beyond the checkpoint need a special pass to access the "red zone".
Despite the event's international importance, security responsibility falls to the tiny rural canton of Nidwalden.
The fifth-smallest of Switzerland's 26 cantons in terms of both size and population, Nidwalden has just 45,000 residents.
The military will protect infrastructure, provide air transport and reconnaissance, conduct surveillance and interventions on the lake, and offer logistics and command support.
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