March 29, 2024

Baltic states deliver anti-missiles to Ukraine +++ and Sweden shows increased presence in the Baltic Sea

Baltic states deliver anti-missiles to Ukraine +++ and Sweden shows increased presence in the Baltic Sea

In light of the escalating Ukrainian conflict, Sweden is keeping an eye on Russian activities in the Baltic Sea. The Swedish military, which on Thursday released photos of the reinforcement of troops and equipment – including tank shots crossing the streets of Sweden’s largest Baltic island – emphasized that it was not a question of a higher level of readiness, but a reallocation of resources to Gotland.

Armored vehicles of the Swedish army are guarding the largest Swedish island in the Baltic Sea, Gotland.

Photo: cornerstone

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg plans to meet with Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linde and Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto on Monday. The Scandinavian country of the European Union had already reinforced its presence in Gotland about a week ago.

Like neighboring Finland, Sweden is not a member of NATO, but both countries are close partners in the military alliance. It must remain that way, as Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist explained in a televised debate Thursday night. “We cannot rule out an armed attack on Sweden,” Hultqvist told Deutsche Welle on Friday. So he wanted to make it clear that his country was ready to defend itself. “Sweden is ready to defend its sovereignty and integrity and to do this on its own, but also with other countries with which we have cooperated for many years.”

A few days ago, some Russian landing ships were seen in the Baltic Sea. According to the TT news agency, a total of six ships, more than usual, were in the area. They have now left the Baltic again, but three of them were installed in Kattegat in the middle of the week due to bad weather.

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In Finland last week, a large Russian cargo plane caused eyebrows, which was said to have taken a turn through Finnish airspace. In Sweden, several drones have been seen at sensitive sites such as nuclear power plants – and it is unclear where they came from.

Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin recently stated that it is “highly unlikely” that her country will become a member of NATO under her leadership. However, she stressed that the EU member state with the longest national border with Russia has the right to join the alliance in the future.