Sweden says cannot rule out Russian attack
Jun 20, 2023
Stockholm [Sweden], June 20: In light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, defence experts in NATO candidate country Sweden say that "an armed attack on Sweden cannot be ruled out."
A Swedish national defence committee made its findings public in a partially published security policy report on Monday. The final report is expected in April 2024.
Although Russia's armed forces are tied up in Ukraine, limiting the possibilities of using military force in other regions, this does not mean that Russia is unable to take military action near Sweden, the report stated.
Moscow has lowered its threshold for the use of military force and has shown its willingness to take risks, it said.
Russia's capability to conduct operations against Sweden with air or naval forces, long-range weapons or nuclear weapons remains intact, the committee reported.
The Swedish panel of experts stressed that Russia's war in Ukraine prompted Sweden to change its national security policy."Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine and China's growing territorial claims show that conflicts over territory by military means have become a reality again," the report said.
Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022.
Source: Qatar Tribune
