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full screen The increase in applications to the home guard is believed to be due to statements that everyone should prepare mentally for the fact that even Sweden could end up in war. Archive image. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
At the beginning of the month, the number of applications to the home guard increased sharply, reports P4 Stockholm.
Between January 1 and 11, 800 people submitted applications to the Home Guard. During the same period last year, the Swedish Armed Forces received 80 applications.
The increase is believed to be due to statements made by politicians and high-ranking military officials at the National People’s and Defense Conference in Sälen about the increased security threat to Sweden.
Among others, Commander-in-Chief Micael Bydéns urged everyone to prepare mentally for the fact that Sweden could also end up in war.
– We have previously had a large increase and that was at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. There we saw the biggest increase. And now, given this latest statement, it is increasing again, says Kaula Al-Shabee, an informant at the Swedish Armed Forces, to the channel.