SWEDES STOCK UP OVER FEARS OF RUSSIAN ATTACK
▶ Stockholm is set to announce its plans on whether to join Nato
Sweden has started to prepare for a potential attack from Russia, with families stocking up on food, water and fuel.
Stockholm is expected to announce on Sunday whether it intends to apply for membership of Nato – a decision that analysts say could spark hostilities with Moscow. Finland is also set to announce its decision on joining the alliance.
There are fears Russia could use a port it leases on the Swedish island of Gotland. Military sources suggest the port has been deepened to allow warships to anchor.
Sweden is also wary of threats of a nuclear attack and has increased provisions for its civil defences.
People living near Stockholm have stocked up on essentials in preparation for a cyber attack should Sweden announce it is applying to join Nato.
Gunilla Herolf, an associate research fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, told The National that the threat of a Russian attack was being taken seriously.
“The Russians will not respect the territory of Sweden,” she said.
“They will see to it that on day one we will not be able to use credit cards or have electricity. This is what people expect and are preparing for.”
Swedes have bought water tanks, radios, camping stoves and food in case a conflict breaks out, she said.
It is understood the Swedish government has also made plans to refill the Vattenfall oil reservoir and power plant built during the Cold War.
Stockholm also expects more threats of nuclear war from Moscow.
Ian Anthony, director of the European security programme at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, said he expected Russian President Vladimir Putin to make references to his country being a nuclear power. “And then suddenly all our cities are targeted,” Mr Anthony said.
While direct military action is unlikely “you can’t rule anything out with Russia”, he said.
He said Stockholm was likely to seek Nato membership because there was “no sense of trust” that Russia would respect Sweden’s borders.
“Russia has progressively stepped across all of the red lines we thought existed. We need to be prepared for the next phase in Europe,” he said.
Sweden could also seek membership to better protect Gotland, which is in the middle of the Baltic Sea, 250 kilometres north of the Russian exclave and naval base at Kaliningrad.
Gotland could also play a vital role in giving Nato troops safe passage to Finland and protecting ships and aircraft in the area, Mr Anthony said.
“An adversarial control of Gotland would put a big barrier in the way of reinforcements that have to come from the west through Norway,” he said.
Swedish defence sources also suggested the Silte harbour, which was leased to Russia as part of a gas pipeline agreement in 2016, was deepened to make space for “big ships”.
“They already have the harbour and this could well be used if they want to send a lot of troops to Gotland,” a source said.
“Russia taking Gotland would significantly disrupt Nato reinforcement of troops in the Baltic states and would become a hub for surface-to-air missiles threatening all air transport.”
Sweden has already sent an infantry regiment with armoured vehicles to Gotland after three Russian landing ships were sent from its Arctic ports to the Baltic.
Russian fighter jets, bombers and spy planes have all breached Swedish airspace in the past year.
“There is a genuine sort of nervousness in Sweden, but we believe that nervousness will disappear once we are covered by Nato’s Article Five,” Ms Herolf said, referring to the rule that gives protection to members of the alliance in the event of an attack.
She also expects US and British military personnel to arrive on Gotland soon after Sweden joins Nato. That operation could be completed in a matter of months.
“When we become members, Gotland will be extremely useful for defending Baltic states because it is the most essential spot,” she said.
Admitting Sweden and Finland into Nato will offer it vast territory, “strategic depth” and “rear area logistics reinforcement”, Mr Anthony said.
Sweden is also in the early stages of restructuring its military, which has declined from a force of 100,000 to 23,000 troops since 1995.
While the country’s military is rebuilding, its defence industry has “significant advanced technologies and combat capability”, along with strong industrial alliances with Britain, the US and Germany, he said.
This has enabled Sweden to work alongside the UK on a missile known as the Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon, which has been used in the continuing conflict in Ukraine.
Sweden also has developed the Gripen multi-role warplane, as well as advanced electronic warfare systems, airborne surveillance, smart artillery and counter-battery radars, all of which could be useful to Nato members.
Russia will not respect Swedish territory. They will see to it that we will not be able to use credit cards or electricity
DR GUNILLA HEROLF
Swedish Institute of International Affairs