Sweden, like many other countries, has donated military equipment to Ukraine. This includes heavy equipment such as artillery pieces, tanks and combat vehicles, but also ammunition and spare parts.
Most are drawn from the army, which is now short of both equipment and personnel, as many employees are also working to train Ukrainians.
– We are going hard. We are happy to do that for the sake of it, but of course it has an impact, says army commander Jonny Lindfors.
The government’s intention has been that donated equipment should be quickly replaced with new ones, but it is unclear when this can actually happen and to what extent.
Lack of money
In addition to long waiting times in the defense industry, prices have risen sharply. In several cases, it is about doubled prices – or more, according to information from the Army Staff.
Army chief Jonny Lindfors confirms that there is currently a lack of money to be able to replace everything that has been sent away.
– The financial compensation allocated to the Armed Forces is not enough to replace wagon for wagon, he states.
Impaired preparedness
Work is now underway within the army to investigate how much money is missing. What the total cost will land on is not yet clear.
The fact that the defense lacks equipment for a period means that the ability to defend Sweden is reduced, says Jonny Lindfors.
– It is a risk that we – in dialogue with politicians – judge that we can take, during a time when Russia is tied up in Ukraine. But it is an ability that must be recreated as soon as possible.
In a written comment to SVT, the government writes that the amounts decided by the Riksdag to buy new equipment are based on documents from the Swedish Armed Forces.
“The armed forces will submit new budget documents to the government in a few weeks, and it is natural for them to then report on whether any changes have taken place.”