Baltic Sea

In view of the Russian threat, Sweden sends tanks and troops to the Baltic Sea island

“ONEThe armed forces are taking the necessary steps to protect Sweden’s integrity and demonstrate our ability to protect Sweden’s and Sweden’s interests,” Defense Minister Peter Hulkwist told AFP by email.

The move comes amid rising tensions between Russia and member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) this week, as three Russian landing ships sailed from Denmark across the Great Belt Straits into the Baltic Sea.

In a statement Thursday, the military said troops would be deployed “to bolster operations in many locations” as “Russian operations in the Baltic Sea intensify.”

Hutqvist told TT News that patrols on the island of Gotland show Sweden is taking the situation seriously and that “this shouldn’t come as a surprise”.

Michael Clausen, chief of Sweden’s armed forces, told AFP that the units sent to Wispi came from the garrison already stationed on the island, which he denied was an “expression of violence”.

Western nations have accused Russia of amassing tanks and dozens of troops on its border with Ukraine in recent weeks, in what NATO says is a prelude to a possible invasion.

Russia denies preparing a military offensive and calls for retaliatory measures for the growing Atlantic Alliance presence in its sphere of influence.

In the middle of today, the Swedish Armed Forces said they had detected growing Russian activity in the Baltic Sea, pointing to the presence of “elements deviating from normal structure” and the decision to boost military production in the Scandinavian country.

“From today we will be seen more and more often and we will be of a civilian nature in important strategic places,” Thomas Angschmer, spokesman for the Gotland Brigade, SWD, told public television, referring to the port and airport the Baltic Sea island of Sweden. கடல் ..

The reason is the importance of “increasing activities” near Sweden and “proving to residents of Gotland and other countries that we have contextual security”.

However, the Swedish defense assesses the risk of an attack on the Scandinavian country as “low”.

Tensions between Sweden and Russia have escalated in recent years with the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and mutual denunciations of air rights violations, particularly from the Swedish side.

In 2014, the most serious incident occurred when Stockholm allegedly indirectly accused Russia of invading its territory from a foreign submarine, but the main source was that several photos obtained from the public were dropped a few months later.

In recent years, Sweden has intensified its cooperation with NATO, with which it has a union agreement, and has approved a number of measures to increase the defense budget.

The Stockholm government decided to send a permanent unit to Cotland, reintroduce conscription, allow NATO troops to be present on Swedish territory, and reissue a guide on what to do in the event of an emergency or military invasion.

In 2018, the Swedish Armed Forces summoned the 22,000-strong National Guard, a permanent force of volunteer guards, to demonstrate their mobilization capability, unaccepted since 1975.

Also read: Sweden strengthens military readiness in the face of Russian action and rejects the threat

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