The security arrangements at the luxury Bürgenstock resort near Lucerne for the Summit for Peace in Ukraine are colossal.

Soldiers have taken position at the multiple checkpoints set up on the winding roads leading up to the resort. 

Around 6.5 kilometres of fencing and eight kilometres of barbed wire have been installed around the perimeter. 

To protect the more than 50 heads of state including French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and US Vice President Kamala Harris, up to 4,000 soldiers have been deployed, said Viola Amherd, the president of the Swiss confederation during a press conference held on Monday. 

“An event on this scale requires comprehensive protective measures,” Swiss President Viola Amherd said ahead of the summit.

In addition, a temporary military heliport has been set up in the middle of a field to allow take-offs and landings of the different delegations. 

The Bürgenstock Hotel has a long history of high-level political meetings and its isolated mountaintop location provides an extra layer of security. 

The swanky resort had hosted previous peace talks on Sudan in 2002 and Cyprus in 2004.

Threats of cyberattacks and disinformation

The threats are not only physical but also include cyberattacks and disinformation surrounding the event.

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said there was “an obvious interest in disturbing the smooth running of the conference.” 

The first wave of distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS) on government websites began on Thursday.

DDoS attacks aim to overload websites with a large number of requests. The data volume usually cannot be handled by a single organisation causing the website and computer system to crash. 

More attacks are expected during the weekend, according to the Swiss National Cyber Security Centre.

How have locals been impacted?

More than 400 residents with homes and farms beyond the checkpoints need a special pass to access the zone. 

According to the Swiss news website Watson, some residents have expressed their frustration with the organisation of the conference. 

“No one has asked us our opinion,” said a woman. “That damn noise all the time”, also exclaimed another resident, after the passage of a helicopter.

ad

An American tourist who died after being electrocuted in a hot tub while vacationing with his wife in Mexico is now being remembered as a “real big family man” who had a “heart of gold.” 

Jorge Guillen, a 43-year-old from El Paso, Texas, according to media reports, died June 11 “in the jacuzzi of a complex of private condominiums in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora after an electric discharge,” Mexican prosecutors say. His wife, Lizette Zambrano, 35, remains in critical condition after reportedly being transferred to an American hospital. 

“Our best friends have experienced a horrible accident. Jorge had a heart of gold and was always there for family and friends. The love they shared was one for ages,” reads a GoFundMe page set up for the couple. 

Video purportedly taken from the scene showed people screaming as they gathered around a beachfront hot tub following the incident. In the footage, a dark object could be seen bobbing around in the water. 

MAN KILLED AFTER GETTING ELECTROCUTED IN SEASIDE RESORT JACUZZI 

Western Technical College – where Guillen was a student – held a moment of silence in honor of him Friday during a graduation ceremony, according to KFOX14/CBS4. 

“Those who knew George knew that he was enthusiastic. He was passionate. He loved HVAC. He was a real big family man. Definitely a very respectable, professional young man,” the trade school’s president, Maxine Valencia, said to the station. 

“We are just as saddened as the rest of the world about the passing of our beloved student, Jorge Guillen. The news reached us last night through one of Jorge’s classmates,” the school also wrote on Facebook. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the family of his wife, Lizzette Zambrano, who remains in critical condition.” 

MEXICAN AUTHORITIES FIND BODIES OF 4 MEN, 2 WOMEN PILED UP IN RESORT CITY 

This September 2018 photo shows a beach at Puerto Peñasco in the state of Sonora, Mexico. (AP Photo/Annika Wolters)

Zambrano is described by the El Paso Times as being a former teacher in the Ysleta Independent School District. 

During the investigation, Mexican officials spoke with someone who is familiar with the couple, who said she saw the two of them were not moving in the jacuzzi. 

The witness also reportedly told investigators she attempted to get into the jacuzzi after discovering the couple was non-responsive, but she was shocked. 

Prosecutors in Mexico have launched an investigation into the death of Guillen and the injury of Zambrano in Puerto Peñasco. (PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images)

The witness told investigators that was the moment she called for help. 

Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.