Military uniform, sunglasses covering her eyes as blue as the horizon, weapon in hand and target on purpose, that’s not how Camilla plans to spend the first sunny days of spring.
But the seller of this cheese and ham at a supermarket said he was confident he would be able to devote the next month to perfecting the handling of weapons. This is important because I want to do something instead of sitting at home worrying about not knowing what to do or what will happen.
What worries him is Russia.
Camilla is one of Sweden’s Territorial Defense Reservists. He lives on the island of Gotland, a peaceful mass of land whose old town of Visby and its fortifications are beginning to see beautiful days attracting tourists.
Normally, Camilla would have to devote a few days a year to military training as per her promise. But that was no longer enough, Sweden decided. He and his comrades, civilians, were all summoned. They need to be more rigorous soldiers, and fast.
The war in Ukraine has disrupted the peace of Gotland, Jeannette said. It was just close to our house so it became a reality. Worried, but I’m not scared.
Jeannette was not alone on the shooting range. Between workouts and exams, he walks his two dogs. Both are trained in drug and explosives detection and can also defend Sweden.
Their commander, Magnus Frykvall, was deployed six months ago on the island of Gotland, where the exercises are being held. He was responsible for the regular army regiment and civilian volunteers. Putin has clearly shown the world that he is ready to use military force to achieve his political goals. Since Gotland is of great strategic importance, of course you have to be prepared.
During the Cold War, Sweden deployed up to 25,000 of its troops to the island. When this was over, Gotland was completely demilitarized. This is a miscalculation, Commander Frykvall believes. Sweden is not the only country in Europe that has changed strategy, turning away from national defense to participate in international military operations. But in our situation today, this is a mistake.
What Magnus Frykvall called a mistake was corrected in 2014 after Russia occupied Crimea. Today, 200 regular army soldiers are assigned to the island. They will soon be many more.
The Swedish government has just announced that it has allocated an additional 163 million euros, or more than 220 million Canadian dollars, to strengthen its military infrastructure in Gotland.
In the middle of the Baltic Sea, Gotland regained a great deal of strategic importance. The island is only about 300 kilometers from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. It is from there that Russia can carry out threats of retaliation, if Sweden decides to join NATO.
That’s it, the debate in Sweden today. Like neighboring Finland, the Scandinavian country has made NATO non -membership a true doctrine for decades. But the social-democratic government is on the point of breaking this tradition of military neutrality.
Public opinion in Sweden has also changed significantly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. One in two Swedes now says they are in favor, something that has never been heard of, according to pollster Torbjörn Sjöström, who has been interested in the issue since the war in Ukraine began.
First, we see that Ukraine is not protected by NATO. We realize that probably isn’t either. We also saw that the threat was real, not just words, he said. And then we saw provocations and threats from Russia for a long time. But he walked away. So we weren’t scared, we were angry.
This anger was shared by Swedish Member of the European Parliament Karin Karlsbro. A month ago, he walked on the Boutcha ground in the suburbs of kyiv. He returned haunted by the war crimes committed there.
” What we saw in Boutcha, the same thing was happening elsewhere in Ukraine while we were here. Very painful. “
This he said to several hundred Swedish citizens and Ukrainian refugees who gathered in support of Ukraine in the heart of Stockholm on a rainy Saturday.
Karin Karlsbro, however, did not have to see the horrors of the war in Ukraine to support her country’s membership in NATO. The liberal party of which he is a member has long campaigned in favor of the military alliance. Now it is urgent. What happened in Ukraine woke up Swedish society.
If everyone here is obviously, like him, outraged at the fate of Ukraine, however, they do not share his enthusiasm for NATO.
Therese Bennich was torn. I’m not sure. Not really. I have no clear answer. Before the war, I would have been against it. Now I don’t know.
Like the words of Swedish leaders, Jillian Liliastrum seems to have resigned more than excited about the idea of abandoning Sweden’s neutrality. You have to, he says, but it’s the sacrifice of an ideal. The ideal of peace, of not being part of a military alliance. I am also worried about nuclear weapons. There are so many aspects that I don’t like. But I am also afraid for Finland. And I don’t want to abandon her, if she joined NATO.
The choice was painful for many, but it seems now that it is no surprise. Sweden is set to announce its decision next Sunday.
Source: Radio-Canada
