- Sweden strengthens security policy amid concerns over Russian threat
An armed attack by Russia against Sweden or its allies cannot be ruled out, Stockholm has warned in its recently published security strategy, which considers Moscow its greatest threat in the coming years.
Sweden has tightened its national security policy amid concerns that prompted its army’s supreme commander to warn Swedes to “prepare themselves mentally for war.”
The new national security strategy was published today and runs until 2030.
The illegal invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin’s forces in 2022 prompted the Scandinavian nation to join NATO, ending more than two centuries of neutrality.
The severity of the Russian threat will depend on what happens next in the Ukraine war, Defense Minister Pal Johnson told a news conference.
Russia’s threshold for using military force is “low,” he said, adding that Moscow is “willing to take great political and military risks.”
A US Marine is seen atop a HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) during the Baltops 24 military exercises on the island of Uto in the Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden.
The severity of the Russian threat will depend on what happens next in the Ukraine war, Defense Minister Pal Johnson told a news conference.
According to Stockholm, Russia’s threshold for using military force is “low.” Pictured: Putin with troops in Moscow last month
While Stockholm had shared a partnership with the alliance for 30 years, it only officially joined on March 7, two years after its policy of military non-alignment changed following Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In its new strategy, Sweden also said it has “taken steps to protect its strategic assets,” particularly in the north.
In 2023, a Swedish mining group announced that it had discovered “the largest known deposit of rare earth elements in Europe” in the Swedish Arctic.
Sweden is one of the EU’s largest mining countries, accounting for more than 90 percent of the bloc’s iron ore production.
Sweden’s accession to NATO was hailed as a major step forward in strengthening the bloc’s eastern flank.
The troops joined NATO’s biggest exercises since the end of the Cold War just hours after Sweden became part of the alliance.
Soldiers from Britain and the United States have also been welcomed on the country’s territory as part of the extensive war games.
Strategically, beyond its extensive Baltic coastline, Sweden has the island of Gotland, which could play a central defensive role.
Across the water, Russia has its own vital outpost – the Kaliningrad exclave – and the Baltic state is seen as the one that would be on the front line if war broke out.
Servicemen belonging to the US Maine Corps and the Stockholm Amphibious Regiment are seen during the Baltops 24 military exercises on Uto Island
In January, Sweden’s civil defence minister warned that his country could face the prospect of war.
Carl-Oskar Bohlin urged citizens to join voluntary defence organisations in preparation for a possible armed conflict.
“There could be a war in Sweden… The world is facing a security landscape with greater risks than at any time since the end of the Second World War,” the minister said at the time.
The latest warning comes on the eve of a three-day NATO summit in Washington, where Western leaders will seek to reassure Ukraine of the alliance’s unwavering support.
The latest attack by Putin’s forces on civilian targets in Ukraine this morning included a supersonic missile that crashed into a children’s hospital.
It was the biggest bombing of kyiv in months; several other cities were also hit and dozens were killed.