Sweden deals with incidents of sabotage in the Baltic Sea with extreme caution

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that his country is neither at war nor at peace, announcing that his country is sending armed forces to the Baltic Sea for the first time, as part of monitoring efforts, amid a wave of suspected sabotage of undersea “cables.”

Sweden announced that it will contribute up to three warships and a surveillance plane to NATO efforts to monitor vital infrastructure and the Russian “shadow fleet,” as part of the alliance’s efforts to protect underwater infrastructure from sabotage.

Speaking during the annual Sweden Conference (People and Defense), which recently concluded in Sälen, northern Sweden, Christerson also commented on the “cable” incidents in the Baltic Sea, saying: “Hostile intent cannot be ruled out in the midst of hybrid attacks and proxy wars.”

The Swedish Prime Minister cited Iran’s alleged use of Swedish gang members to commit the crime, saying: “Sweden is not at war, but there is no peace either,” adding: “True peace requires freedom and the absence of dangerous conflicts between countries, but we and our neighbors are exposed to hybrid attacks, which cannot be achieved.” “Implemented with robots and soldiers, but with computers, money, misinformation and sabotage.” He said that whoever wants peace must “be prepared for war.”

Hostile intentions

In a later press conference, Christerson said that Sweden would send an ASC 89 reconnaissance plane and three warships. He added: “This is the first time that Sweden has contributed armed forces to our immediate region.”

Commenting on the investigation into the “Eagle S” ship, which is suspected of damaging a “cable” between Finland and Estonia last month, he said that NATO “is ready to help,” and that a Swedish rescue ship is at the site and has recovered an anchor.

The Swedish official continued: “Sweden does not reach conclusions and does not accuse anyone of sabotage without very strong evidence. The work is continuing, and the National Security Council is constantly being updated, but we are not naive either. The security situation and the fact that strange things repeatedly happen in the Baltic Sea also guide us.” To believe that hostile intentions cannot be ruled out.

He said that it was unlikely that a ship would accidentally, and without noticing, drag a 300-meter-long anchor over a distance of more than 100 kilometers, without realizing that this could cause damage.

Coordinate efforts

It is expected that the heads of state and government of the Baltic Sea will meet in the Finnish capital soon to coordinate efforts, as everyone takes the matter seriously.

Kristersson said that domestic support for Sweden’s recent membership in NATO was a sign that “Sweden has changed,” adding: “Sweden is no longer an idealist country on the margins, but has instead become a realist at the center of events.”

The Swedish Prime Minister explained that his country contributes 2.4% of NATO’s gross domestic product, a number that is scheduled to grow to 2.6% within three years. Defense spending is set to grow to £2.75 billion by 2030, with the building of a new National Cyber ​​Security Centre.

In an interview with The Guardian newspaper last month, Swedish Civil Defense Minister Karl Oskar Bohlen said that more countries should follow Sweden’s example when it comes to preparing for war, amid the growing security threat from Russia, which he said “will remain for a while.” “Long coming.”

He added that the escalation of alleged sabotage in the Baltic Sea means “we need to be on alert.”

Stockholm recently announced that it would increase the pace of modernization of its military defense, amid what it described as “the most dangerous security situation since the end of World War II.” She said, “The government notes that an armed attack on Sweden cannot be ruled out.” About the Guardian

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Targeting vital facilities

The Swedish authorities warned of the increasing risk of targeting vital facilities, as defense industry companies said they were increasingly being targeted. Security industry companies in Sweden have reported a rise in sabotage attempts, including the use of drones over defense company facilities to document and map them, “more aggressive” espionage, cyber attacks, and disinformation.

Europe has seen a series of incidents in recent months in which Russia is believed to have been involved, including a failed plot to assassinate the CEO of a German arms manufacturer, and a fire at a metals factory owned by a defense manufacturer in Berlin.

. Stockholm recently announced that it would increase the pace of modernization of its military defense due to what it described as “the most dangerous security situation.”