SWEDEN has enjoyed over two centuries of peacetime.
But with tensions rising between Russia and the Scandinavian nation, could that be about to change?
EPASwedish civil defence minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin speaking at the Society and Defence National Conference in Sälen, Sweden January 7, 2023[/caption]
Could Sweden go to war with Russia?
Sweden is set to become a Nato member in the summer of 2023, leading Swedish civil defence minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin to urge his countrymen to join voluntary defence organisations.
Pending ratification by member countries Turkey and Hungary, Sweden is expected to join the defence alliance by July, offering the nation extra security.
But there are growing fears that Russia could launch attacks on member countries such as the Baltic states, which could draw fellow member nations into the war in Ukraine.
Speaking at the annual Folk och Försvar (Society and Defence) conference in Sälen at the start of the new year, Bohlin said: “Many have said it before me, but let me say it with the force of my office — there could be a war in Sweden.”
“The world is facing a security outlook with greater risks than at any time since the end of the Second World War.
“Are you a private individual? Have you considered whether you have time to join a voluntary defence organisation? If not: get moving!”
He said Swedish people need to exhibit “situational awareness” which “must be translated into practical action”.
He added: “… if there is one thing that keeps me awake at night, it is the feeling that things are moving too slowly”.
Swedish Commander-in-Chief Micael Bydén was in full agreement, telling Swedish broadcaster SVT on January 8: “On an individual level, you have to prepare yourself mentally.
“This is a very serious situation, and the clarity yesterday was unmistakable.
“It is now about moving from words and understanding to action”.
“Hope is not a strategy on which to build plans, but hope must be there. It’s not all doom and gloom.
“Look at the news from Ukraine and ask yourself the simple questions: If this happens here, am I prepared? What should I do?
‘The more people who have thought, considered and prepared, the stronger our society will be.”
Swedish defence minister Pål Jonson’s also warned on January 8 that an attack on his country “cannot be ruled out”.
He said that “the world has become more dangerous than it was just a year ago”.
Jonson added: “War can also come to us.
“These serious times require clarity of vision, capacity to act and persistence — clarity of vision to understand that Russia’s goal remains the eradication of a free Ukraine and creation of a Europe in which ‘might is right’ with buffer states and spheres of interest.”
What is Sweden’s position on Ukraine?
A joint statement was released by the Joint Expeditionary Force (JED) — Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the UK — setting out the position of its members’ governments.
The statement reads: “We condemn Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in the strongest terms, and utterly reject Russia’s assaults on Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence.
“We condemn Russia’s aggression in the Black Sea, its attacks on civilians, incidents of conflict related sexual violence, indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks and direct attacks against civilian infrastructure which constitute war crimes.
“We reiterate our determination to ensure full accountability for crimes committed in and against Ukraine.
“We also condemn Russia’s weaponisation of food and its subsequent impact on global food security.
“Russia’s full-scale illegal invasion of Ukraine has only increased the importance of both Nato and the JEF as enablers of regional security for their members.
“The security of Ukraine is integral to the security of the Euro-Atlantic area, hence we are committed to support Ukraine on its Euro- Atlantic integration path towards future membership in Nato.”
When did Sweden go to war with Russia?
Sweden and Russia have a long and bloody history of going to war with one another.
Here’s a brief history:
Russo-Swedish War — 1475 to 1476 — no clear victor
Russo-Swedish War — 1479 to 1482 — no clear victor
Russo-Swedish War — 1495 to 1497 — no clear victor
Russo-Swedish War — 1554 to 1557 — no clear victor
Livonian War — 1558 to 1582 — Swedish victory
Russo-Swedish War — 1590 to 1595 — Swedish victory
Ingrian War — 1610 to 1617 — Swedish victory
Russo-Swedish War — 1656 to 1658 — Swedish victory
Great Northern War — 1700 to 1721 — Russian coalition victory
Russo-Swedish War — 1741 to 1743 — Russian victory
Russo-Swedish War — 1788 to 1790 — no clear victor; favourable outcome for Sweden
Finnish War — 1808 to 1809 — Russian victory