As Swedes dream of war

ÖB and the government urge the population to prepare for war.

The news did not go unnoticed in Russia.

“Sometimes it seems that some Swedish military and journalists almost dream of war,” writes top politician Aleksej Pushkov in social media.

Top politician Aleksej Pushkov Photo: Press

Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M) was the first out on Sunday.

– Many have said it before me, but let me do it with the power of office: There could be war in Sweden, he said during the ongoing People and Defense conference in Sälen.

The warning was repeated on Monday by Commander-in-Chief Micael Bydén and was supported by both Must chief Thomas Nilsson and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M):

– You can express it in different ways. To increase defense appropriations by 27 billion, that’s an Excel-like way of putting it. Maybe not everyone thinks it’s as dramatic, Kristersson said during a press conference.

The heightened tone was noticed by several international media.

“Sweden issues ominous warning to residents”, wrote American Newsweek. Similar headlines were seen in Norwegian, Danish and Ukrainian media.

Described as Putin’s foot soldier

The news was also picked up in Russia by as well independent exile media as state-controlled news agencies.

Senator Alexei Pushkov, who represents Putin’s United Russia party, reacted with one rambling posts on Telegram.

“It really itches their fingers,” he wrote in response to the statements from Carl-Oskar Bohlin and Micael Bydén.

Aleksey Pushkov is chairman of the information committee in the Russian Senate and has been described as one of Putin’s most important foot soldiers in social media. Previously, he was chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Duma.

Refers to Poltava

In his post on Monday, which also was reported by state Ria, he singles out Sweden as one of the countries in Europe that “spreads the most anti-Russian paranoia”. He then quips with what he thinks are some examples:

“Russian submarines have been fishing there for many years and for some this has become the most important thing in life. For many years they have been saying that Russia is probably preparing to take Gothenburg and other nonsense”.

Pushkov then writes that he thinks Sweden overestimates its importance:

“Apparently, this is how they are trying to give Sweden a geopolitical weight that the country does not have. Sometimes it seems that some Swedish military personnel and journalists almost dream of war”.

He concludes with a historical reference:

“Apparently they can’t calm down after the defeat at Poltava…”