Sweden is warned to 'brace for war': Civil Defence minister tells citizens to 'get moving' and prepare for the end of 210 years of peace as country bids to join NATO in face of Russia tensions

Sweden is warned to 'brace for war' by civil defence minister

In a rousing speech that took note of his country's hotly anticipated accession to NATO…

Mail Online

Sweden‘s civil defence minister has warned his country could soon face the prospect of war and urged citizens to join voluntary defence organisations in preparation for a potential armed conflict.

In a rousing speech that took note of his country’s hotly anticipated accession to NATO this year and ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine, Carl-Oskar Bohlin called on ordinary citizens to ask themselves ‘who are you if war comes?’.

Speaking at Sweden’s annual ‘Folk och Försvar’ (Society and Defence) conference in Sälen this past weekend, the minister said: ‘It is human to want to view life as you wish it was, rather than as it actually is.

‘For a nation for whom peace has been a pleasant companion for almost 210 years, the idea that it is an immovable constant is conveniently close at hand. But taking comfort in this conclusion has become more dangerous than it has been for a very long time,’ Bohlin said.

Sweden has not been involved in an armed conflict since a brief war with neighbour Norway in 1814 as the latter sought to establish its own constitution and parliament. it stayed neutral during WW2.

‘There could be war in Sweden… The world is facing a security outlook with greater risks than at any time since the end of the Second World War,’ the civil defence minister continued.

‘Are you a private individual? Have you considered whether you have time to join a voluntary defence organisation? If not: get moving!’ he declared.

It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Vladimir Putin would not stop at Ukraine and would attack other neighbours unless allies joined forces to stop him.

‘He (Putin) won’t finish this (war), until we all finish him together,’ Zelensky said during a news conference in Vilnius, adding ‘Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova may be next’ if Ukraine did not withstand Russia’s onslaught.

Sweden’s Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin speaks during the Society and Defence National Conference in Salen, Sweden, 07 January 2023

Swedish Army armoured vehicles and tanks participate in a military exercise called ‘Cold Response 2022’, gathering around 30,000 troops from NATO member countries as well as Finland and Sweden, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Swedish soldiers take part in NATO’s ‘Cold Response 2022’ military exercises

Soldiers of the P18 Gotland Regiment of the Swedish Army camouflage their armoured vehicles during a field exercise near Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland on May 17, 2022

US and Swedish troops evacuate a wounded comrade as they take part of a war simulation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a joint press conference after a meeting with the Lithuanian president in Vilnius, Lithuania, 10 January 2024

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Vladimir Putin would not stop at Ukraine and will attack other neighbours unless allies joined forces to stop him

Bohlin did not claim that the prospect of war is imminent in Sweden in his weekend speech.

But he stressed the current state of the world and rising tensions between East and West necessitated a response at all levels to ensure Swedish society would be prepared for any future conflict.

Using Ukraine’s valiant and effective defence of Kyiv in the early days of the war in March 2022 as an example, Bohlin said his nation must fast-track its efforts to bring about civil preparedness and become a war-ready society.

‘Putin didn’t understand that he was kicking down that door within every Ukrainian in 2014. By the time of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, the Ukrainian people had – individually and collectively – been formulating their response…

‘The Russian attacking forces faced the unified force of the entire Ukrainian society. This kind of effort can only come about quickly enough if the vast majority are aware of the situation and understand what is at stake.

‘Societal resilience requires exactly that: situational awareness… Awareness must be translated into practical action. Measures that actually raise the threshold…