Sweden issues ominous warning to citizens

Swedish authorities are warning citizens to be more prepared than ever in case of war.

In May 2022, Sweden and Finland, known as neutral countries, announced their membership in NATO in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier that year. Finland officially joined the alliance in April 2023, but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized the country’s alleged inaction against Islamophobia, calling it a “red line that must not be crossed,” and Sweden’s attempt to join faced obstacles. Hungary has also expressed concerns about Sweden’s membership.

President Erdoğan later approved Sweden’s membership in NATO, but Turkey’s Grand National Assembly still needs to give permission. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said late last year that his country was in no hurry to approve the Swedish bid.

However, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the German news agency DPA last week that Sweden had made all the necessary concessions and hoped the country would be able to reach NATO by the next summit, scheduled for July in Washington, DC. predicted that it would be admitted as the 32nd member state.

Sweden’s entry into the alliance would increase NATO’s regional influence, giving all five Nordic countries near-full control of the strategically important NATO Lakes of the Baltic Sea. Experts have previously said that providing air power to NATO on Sweden’s behalf would be a challenge for Russian forces at sea. newsweek.

Almost two years into the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and in the midst of a war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Swedish citizens are being asked to be more vigilant and prepared than ever.

“For a country where peace has been a comfortable companion for almost 210 years, the idea that peace is a constant is no exception,” Karl Oskar Bolin, Sweden’s Minister of Civil Defense, said at the annual conference in Søren on Sunday. It’s conveniently close by.” A village on the eastern side of the country.

“But resting on this conclusion is now even more dangerous than ever before,” he continued. Many people have said this before me, but let me say it more clearly, in an official capacity, with naked clarity: There may be a war in Sweden. ”

newsweek Sweden’s Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Civil Defense were contacted for comment via email.

Bolin said his words were not intended to cause fear, but rather “situational awareness.” He said Ukrainians may have thought the conflict with Russia was a thing of the past until President Vladimir Putin decided to illegally annex Crimea in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion eight years later. pointed out that it was high.

“Societal resilience requires exactly that: situational awareness: recognition among individual citizens, employees, entrepreneurs, and government decision-makers,” Bolin said. “But it is not enough to simply reflect on this issue. Civil defense is not primarily a theoretical exercise. We must translate awareness into real action, into measures that actually raise the threshold.”

Sweden’s Defense Minister Poul Jonsson issued a similar warning in his own speech in Søren on Monday. He said the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East showed “the world is more dangerous than it was just a year ago.”

He also said there is “uncertainty” about the direction the United States will take after the 2024 election. Many U.S. House Republicans have balked at continued funding for Ukraine, citing more urgent domestic issues such as the migrant crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“An armed attack against Sweden cannot be ruled out,” Johnson said. “War could also come our way. These serious times require clear vision, action and tenacity. Russia’s goals remain the eradication of a free Ukraine and a Europe where ‘force is right’. Founding is a clear vision to understand that “use buffer states and regions of interest.”

“We’ve already experienced things like this in the past. We shouldn’t go back there and let our kids grow up in Europe like that,” Johnson said.

The warning follows a broader “historic” defense plan due to be announced later this year, which Swedish officials believe will strengthen the country’s influence as a NATO ally.

Johnson mentioned four goals. One is to build a stronger army with both conscripts and career soldiers. Adopt long-term ammunition procurement within the Nordic region to reduce waiting times for defense-related supplies. Introducing improved defense innovation strategies to achieve technological superiority on the battlefield. Rapid expansion of security and the establishment of “growth-based defense.”

Johnson and Boli’s words echo those of other Swedish officials. Sweden’s Foreign Minister Bilström told Sweden Daily. Dagens Nyheter On Sunday, Russia declared that it would remain a threat to Sweden and NATO indefinitely.

“We must be prepared for a long-term conflict as long as Russia violates the UN Charter and the European Security Decree,” Bilström said.

said Mikhail Troitsky, a professor of practice at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. newsweek The potential cut-off of aid to Ukraine from countries such as the United States has put emphasis on the strategies of Sweden and other NATO allies, he said. Russia may see this as a gateway for “spillover” to other foreign countries.

“These countries are actively assessing risks such as Ukraine’s proximity to conflict zones, inadequate infrastructure, social tensions and government unpopularity,” Troitsky said. “Both governments are under pressure to increase preparedness and warn the public about the risk of an escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian war in order to mobilize public opinion in support of support for Ukraine.

“For European governments, this is one of the few tactics available to counter the normalization of the Ukraine war by public opinion,” he said.

Troitsky added that Sweden has long been wary of its geopolitical position, given its location in the Baltic Sea region and small population. It is prudent to consider possible escalatory measures by Russia, especially in the wake of Finland’s accession to NATO and Sweden’s efforts to join.

“As European leaders contemplate the ramifications of war in these regions, their main dilemma is to seek increased military spending and preparedness, while also reducing economic growth, welfare and, in some cases, the welfare of their citizens. “It’s about finding a balance between meeting demands and restoring beneficial economic relations with Russia on the one hand.”