Sweden is defending itself against a possible Russian attack due to the NATO application
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Sweden has begun preparations for hostilities with Russia immediately after its NATO application, with families replenishing supplies in the event of an attack. The national has learnt.
There are also fears that the Russians may use a port they rent on the strategically important island of Gotland, which military sources have indicated has been deepened to allow warships to anchor.
The Swedes are also preparing for the threat of a nuclear attack from President Vladimir Putin with the Stockholm government increasing the supply of civil defense.
People around the capital are filling up with food, water and fuel ahead of a potentially large cyber strike, shortly after Sweden announced its application, probably on Sunday. Neighboring Finland will also announce its decision to apply for NATO membership within a few days.
This was told by Dr. Gunilla Herolf, at the Foreign Policy Institute The national that the threat was taken seriously.
“The Russians will not respect Sweden’s territory,” she said in Stockholm. “They will make sure we can not use credit cards or have electricity on the first day. This is what people expect and prepare for.”
Swedes buy special water tanks, hand-charged radios, camping stoves and extra food in the event of a conflict, she said.
It is understood that the Swedish government also plans to replenish Vattenfall’s large oil reservoir and power plant that was built during the Cold War.
Sweden also fully expects to be threatened by Putin with its nuclear arsenal. “I’m sure he will say ‘do not forget, we are a nuclear power’ and so suddenly all our cities are targeted,” said Dr Ian Anthony of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
While “some kind of direct military action is unlikely,” Dr Anthony said. “You can not rule anything out with Russia.”
Sweden joined NATO because there was no sense of confidence that Russia would respect territorial borders. “Russia has gradually taken over all the red lines we thought existed, we must be prepared for the next phase in Europe,” he said.
A key reason for Sweden joining the alliance is to defend the island of Gotland, which is strategically located in the middle of the Baltic Sea, 250 kilometers from the Russian eclave and naval base in Kaliningrad and is a center for access to the eastern Baltic.
Gotland would also play a key role in enabling the safe passage of NATO troops to Finland to protect maritime and air transport, says Dr Anthony, who heads Sipri’s European Security Department. “A resilient control of Gotland would place a major barrier in the way of reinforcements that must come from the west through Norway.”
Swedish defense sources also indicated that Siltehamnen, which was leased to Russia as part of a gas pipeline agreement in 2016, had been deepened to take “large vessels”.
– They already have the port and this can very well be used if they want to send many troops to Gotland, said an officer. “Russia’s take Gotland would significantly disrupt NATO’s reinforcement of troops in the Baltic states and would become a hub for ground-to-air missiles that threaten all air travel.”
Sweden has already sent an infantry regiment equipped with armored vehicles after three Russian landing ships were sent from its Arctic ports to the Baltic Sea.
Russian fighter jets, bombers and spy planes have all broken into Swedish airspace in the past year.
“There is a genuine kind of nervousness in Sweden, but we believe that the nervousness will disappear once we are covered by NATO’s article five,” said Dr Gunilla Herolf – a Nordic security policy specialist – referring to the convention which provides automatic protection to alliance members.
She also expected Gotland to be quickly filled with US and British military personnel shortly after Sweden joined NATO, possibly within a few months.
“When we become members, Gotland will be extremely useful for defending the Baltic states because it is the most important place.”
The size of Sweden and Finland will give NATO significant territory that will enable “strategic depth”, said Dr Anthony, and “strengthen the logistics in the rear area”.
Sweden is also at an early stage of the restructuring of its military, which had decreased from a force of 100,000 to 23,000 people since 1995.
While the military is rebuilding, Sweden’s defense industry has “significant advanced technology and combat capability”, with strong industrial alliances with Britain, America and Germany.
This has enabled it to jointly develop systems such as the NLAW anti-tank missile with the United Kingdom, which have been used with great effect in Ukraine.
It also has Gripen multirole fighter jets as well as advanced electronic warfare systems, airborne surveillance, smart artillery and anti-battery radars, all of which will prove useful to its future NATO allies.
Updated: 11 May 2022, 07:35