New government leaflets tell Swedes to be prepared for war

Russian military exercises are raising concerns in small country

In a country that hasn’t been at war for more than 200 years, preparing for the worst means going back to the basics.

“Good hand hygiene is important for avoiding infection,” cautions a new leaflet that is due to be distributed to all 4.8 million Swedish households by the government in Stockholm in an effort to increase the nation’s war and crisis readiness. Next to a drawing that depicts fighter jets and tanks in the picturesque and historically peaceful Swedish landscape, the authors urge their readers to take the advice seriously.

“If Sweden is attacked by another country, we will never give up,” they assert.

Some years ago, the campaign may have been laughed off as a taxpayer-financed 20-page guide for preppers, gun-toting, bunkerbuilding survivalists always preparing for the end of days. These days, however, there isn’t much ridicule.

Amid concerns over Russian military exercises, the Swedish government brought back the draft and is looking into expanding its existing network of shelters, even though it already has 65,000 such structures, which would provide space for up to two-thirds of its population of 10million. Russia has been accused of several risky military maneuvers near or inside Swedish airspace during the past few years, raising concerns over an accidental or deliberate escalation of tensions.

Sweden has 20,000 active military members while Russia has over a million, and the Swedes would be unlikely to win any confrontation with Moscow. Stockholm also isn’t a member of NATO, the military alliance that obliges members to help defend member states in case of an attack.

Instead, Sweden is circling back to its Cold War-era strategy of total defense, which relies on all citizens resisting an invasion and refusing to cooperate with any foreign powers. To remind the Swedes of their responsibility, the Swedish government is also launching advertisements in media outlets this week, ahead of the large-scale distribution of the pamphlets starting next week. It is the first such campaign in over half a century.

During World War II, Sweden produced similar pamphlets and continued issuing updates for several more decades.