Sweden on Monday began sending millions of leaflets to residents advising them how to prepare for a possible war. Neighboring Finland has also launched a new website on preparedness for various crises. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
“The security situation is serious and we all need to strengthen our resilience in order to handle various crises and eventually war,” said Mikael Frissell, director of the Swedish Civil Emergencies Agency (MSB).
A thirty-two-page booklet produced by MSB entitled “If Crisis or War Comes” contains information on preparing for war, natural disasters, and cyber or terrorist attacks. He recommends, for example stock up on non-perishable food and water, cash and self-supply with fruit and vegetables from your own gardens.
The brochure will be sent to 5.2 million households in the next two weeks. It’s about an updated version of the brochure that Sweden has published five times since World War II. So far, the last one was published in 2018. It does not mention Russia, Ukraine or other countries by name.
Sweden since February 26, 2022, when Russia launched a war in Ukraine, repeatedly calls on residents to prepare psychologically and logistically for the possibility of an armed conflict.
After the end of the Cold War, the country significantly reduced its defense spending and focused its military efforts on international peacekeeping missions. After the Russian annexation of the Ukrainian Crimea in 2014 Sweden significantly increased defense spending and restored the military garrison on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea.
The country too it strengthened the equipment of anti-aircraft shelters, improved drinking water supply and transport infrastructure, created the Ministry of Civil Defense and the Psychological Defense Agency to combat the spread of disinformation.
The Finnish government has launched a website that collects information on preparedness for various crises. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Helsinki announced a plan to build a 200-kilometer border fence with neighboring Russia. According to the plan, the three-meter-high fence with the rest of the wire is to be completed by 2026.
