The French newspaper Sud Ouest published a report on how Sweden is preparing its citizens to face the prospect of war with Russia. The Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, Mikael Bydén, announced last January that Swedes must "mentally prepare for war," which raised concerns among the population and led them to question their readiness in facing a "Russian attack," after Sweden recently became the thirty-second member of NATO.
The report features a quote from retired survival expert Harry Sib, who has provided training for over 20 years: "These statements were necessary. Remember the situation at the time of the COVID pandemic." Sweden has begun preparing its population for "total defense," fearing a potential war with Russia, according to the Sud Ouest report. Experts are advising people to start stockpiling food for three months in advance. Charlotte Petrie-Gornicka, head of the emergency management agency, explained to the newspaper that the concept of "total defense" involves preparing the population to be self-sufficient in crises.
By the end of 2024, the agency plans to send booklets outlining rules of conduct in case of adverse developments to all households. The Swedish flag was raised at NATO headquarters yesterday, marking the official accession of the country as the thirty-second member of the alliance.
In recent years, Russia has announced unprecedented military activity on its western borders, while NATO has expanded its initiatives, referring to them as "deterring Russian aggression." Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern about the alliance's troop deployments in Europe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously stated in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson that Moscow would not attack NATO countries, asserting that all these preparations are meaningless. He pointed out that "Western politicians regularly scare their peoples with the Russian threat to distract from domestic issues, but intelligent people understand that this is a false threat." Putin added that Western countries are beginning to recognize the impossibility of defeating Russia strategically in the conflict with Ukraine, and therefore they must consider their next steps, while Russia remains open to dialogue.
