SWEDEN, FINLAND URGE RESIDENTS TO BE READY FOR WAR.(PHOTO).

 

Sweden, Finland Urge Residents To Be Ready For War

Sweden and Finland have ramped up efforts to prepare their citizens for potential conflict as concerns about security in the region grow following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Sweden on Monday began sending some five million pamphlets to residents urging them to prepare for the possibility of war, as neighbouring Finland launched a new preparedness website.

Sweden has begun distributing a 32-page pamphlet, If Crisis or War Comes, to 5.2 million households, providing guidance on how to handle emergencies such as war, natural disasters, cyberattacks, or terror incidents. This follows years of bolstered defence measures, including increased spending, reopened military garrisons, and the establishment of a Psychological Defence Agency to combat disinformation.

Since the start of the war, Stockholm has repeatedly urged Swedes to prepare both mentally and logistically for the possibility of war, citing the serious security situation in its vicinity.

The booklet "If Crisis or War Comes", sent by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), contains information about how to prepare for emergencies such as war, natural disasters, or cyber attacks.

It is an updated version of a pamphlet that Sweden has issued five times since World War II.

The pamphlet, last updated in 2018, now places a stronger emphasis on war preparedness. Citizens are advised to stock non-perishable food, keep cash at hand, and grow their produce. 

Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin has warned of the potential for armed conflict, urging Swedes to be ready for the “worst-case scenario.”

The Swedish government will distribute “Om krisen eller kriget kommer (If crisis or war comes),” to all five million households over a two-week period from November 18, according to the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), a governmental agency that compiled the pamphlet.

Meanwhile, Finland launched a new website consolidating information on crisis preparedness. 

Finland’s Ministry of the Interior also issued newcrisis guidance on Monday, giving readers advice on how to prepare for long power cuts, water outages, telecommunications disruptions, extreme weather events, and military conflict.

Sharing a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia, Finland has heightened security by planning a 200-kilometre border fence set for completion by 2026.

Sweden has revived conscription, fortified bomb shelters, and upgraded civil defence infrastructure since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Meanwhile, Finland has closed border crossings with Russia and intensified readiness to prevent hybrid threats.

Both nations abandoned military non-alignment to join the US-led NATO alliance after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this year, Norway and Denmark – two other members of the 32-party bloc – distributed updated wartime guidance on how people should prepare for potential crises.