Sweden and Finland urge citizens to prepare for possible war

stockholm - Sweden has started sending out brochures to its citizens, while Finland launches a website with similar advice, urging people to prepare for a potential war.

Sweden has begun sending out around five million brochures to its citizens, asking them to prepare for a possible war. Finland, the neighboring country, simultaneously launched a website advising equivalent preparations. Both countries had not been part of any military alliance for decades. However, they joined NATO after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Since the start of the war, the Swedish government has been urging its citizens to prepare both mentally and logistically for a potential war due to the proximity of Russia. Moscow has frequently made aggressive remarks towards the neighbors in the Scandinavian bloc of countries.

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) titled the brochure 'Om krisen eller kriget kommer' ('If crisis or war comes'). The brochure provides practical advice on what to do in crises such as wars, natural disasters, or cyber attacks.

This is only the fifth time since World War II that such a brochure has been sent out. The previous instance was in 2018, which caused significant controversy. It was the first time since 1961 that such a brochure was sent to Swedish households. 'The security situation is serious, and we all need to enhance our resilience,' said MSB director Mikael Frisell in a press release.

American media reported on Sunday that President Joe Biden has approved Ukrainian requests to use long-range weapons to attack Russia in the Kursk province after months of pleas from Kiev. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov warned that this move would escalate the war significantly. Russia has previously mentioned red lines that, if crossed, would result in war with NATO, but so far, there have been no Russian attacks on NATO member states after crossing those red lines.