Committee: Russian attack on Sweden not ruled out
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, defense experts in the NATO candidate country Sweden do not consider it impossible that their country could also be attacked. “An armed attack on Sweden cannot be ruled out,” wrote the Försvarsberedningen Defense Committee in a security policy sub-report published on Monday.
The fact that Russia’s armed forces are tied up in Ukraine limits the possibilities for using these resources in other regions of the world, the panel wrote. However, this assessment does not mean that Russia is not in a position to act militarily in Sweden’s immediate vicinity. Moscow has lowered its inhibitions about using military force and has shown a high political and military inclination to take risks. Russia’s ability to conduct operations against Sweden with air or sea forces, long-range weapons or nuclear weapons remains intact.
The panel stressed that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine had also profoundly changed Swedish security policy. “Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as China’s growing territorial claims, show that conflicts over territory using military means have become a reality again,” the report said.
The committee said Sweden would be best defended within NATO. The forthcoming NATO membership increases both Sweden’s security and that of NATO. However, the Scandinavian country still lacks the approval of Turkey and Hungary for inclusion in the defense alliance.