As two top defence officials warned Swedish people should prepare mentally for the possibility of a conflict reaching their country, Volodymyr Zelensky called on the Scandinavian nation to join forces with Ukraine and manufacture more weapons.
Attending the Society and Defence conference on the weekend, the Ukrainian President said: “Ukraine is already and will always be among the most important European security donors. We want to be able to rely on the best weapons and equipment in the world both for our own security and our partners’ security.
“Therefore, joint production with Sweden is our priority. And I am sure that such a day will come when you and I will be able to see the opening of the first joint production in Ukraine.”
During the same conference, Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin sent shockwaves through Europe as he said there “could be war in Sweden”.
Referring to emergency planners and authorities who should prepare for worst-case scenarios, he said: “If there is one thing that keeps me awake at night, it is the feeling that things are moving too slowly.”
Swedish military commander-in-chief General Micael Byden supported this take, saying Swedes should prepare mentally for the possibility of a conflict in light of the rising global tensions and the constant threat posed by Russia.
The Swedish general, who visited Ukraine’s eastern front in December, later told Aftonbladet newspaper: “My ambition with this is not to worry people; my ambition is to get more people to think about their own situation and their own responsibilities.”
Sweden’s bid to access NATO, which only needs a green light from Turkey and Hungary, has also increased fears of a retaliatory move by the Kremlin.
In December, a few months after Finland joined the Western alliance after ditching its neutral stance, Vladimir Putin ominously said: “They [the West] took Finland and dragged it into NATO! Why, did we have any disputes with Finland? All disputes, including those of a territorial nature in the middle of the 20th century, have all been resolved long ago.
“There were no problems, but now there will be, because we will now create the Leningrad military district there and definitely concentrate military units there.”
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sweden has been providing aid to the war-torn country and is one of the nations training Ukrainian pilots ahead of the delivery of military aircraft. Stockholm is also considering sending to Ukraine advanced Gripen fighter jets.
The warning issued by General Byden and Mr Bohlin prompted concerns throughout Sweden, particularly among its younger citizens.
Children’s rights organisation Bris said its national helpline had seen this week an increase in calls from youngsters worried about the news reports and social media posts covering the statements by the two officials.
The remarks from the defence chiefs, however, have been widely seen around Europe and Sweden itself more as a wake-up call than a warning about imminent danger.
