Urgent purchases, anxiety and intense debates. Warnings from the army and the government Sweden on the need for prepare for a possible war in its territory has triggered all kinds of alarms among the population of the Nordic country.
Sweden, a NATO candidate since May 2022, usually sends troops for peacekeeping missions abroad. But it has not been involved in armed conflict since the Napoleonic Wars of the 19th century.
Days ago, the Minister of Civil Protection, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, surprised himself with this warning “there could be a war” in the country.
Armed Forces Commander Michael Byden spoke along the same lines, showing homes being burned and bombed in Ukraine this week. “Do you think this could be Sweden?” he said. And he clarified that his question has nothing rhetorical about it.
“Russia’s war against Ukraine is a stage and not an end goal. The goal is to establish a sphere of influence and destroy the rules-based world order,” he added. The army chief then insisted that Swedes “must mentally prepare for war.”
Following these statements, the NGO that defends children’s rights Bris said it had observed a significant increase in the number of calls to its emergency telephone number from minors worried that there might be a war in their country.
“This information has aggravated the level of anxiety of many children,” summarizes Magnus Jagerskog, general secretary of the association.
Several chain stores say they have noticed an increase in purchases of items such as radios and gas cans.
In the political class, the statements of the army and the government have generated intense debate. “The situation is serious, but it is important to clarify this too “War is not on our doorstep” said Magdalena Andersson, leader of the Swedish Social Democrats and former prime minister.
Left-wing commentator Goran Greider believes that the armed forces’ warnings rather indicate “a secret desire to test the Swedish fighting forces.”
And in his editorial for the newspaper Dagens Nyheter he believes that the army’s real message might even be “we need you to give us more money”.
The Russian response
The Russian embassy in Stockholm ridiculed the Swedish statements, calling them “paranoia“.
Alexei Pushkov, a Russian senator, noted on Telegram that “sometimes one gets the impression that certain Swedish soldiers and journalists “They’re almost dreaming of war.”
Mark Galeotti, of the Royal United Services Institute think tank, sees little basis for the idea that Russia might one day attack Sweden.
“I understand that the military has to imagine worst-case scenarios and that Russia has proven to be more aggressive than expected,” he told AFP. “But I must confess that I am skeptical about the possibility of such a scenario.”
According to him, there are several factors that make an attack by Moscow unlikely, starting with the fact that “the Russian army, or at least the ground forces in particular, have had a bad time” with the invasion of Ukraine .
Furthermore, he adds, Vladimir Putin has shown no willingness to attack the Balticsan option that is often seen as potentially leading to Swedish involvement.
In addition to its NATO candidacy, Sweden signed an agreement in early December authorizing the United States to access 17 military bases on its territory.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.