Published: Less than 20 min ago
Sweden will become a legitimate target for Russia if we join NATO, threatens Russian ambassador Viktor Tatarintsev.
– That is the tactic Russia uses. Intimidation against one’s own citizens, intimidation against neighboring countries and terror against Ukraine, says Russia expert Malcolm Dixelius.
The Russian ambassador to Sweden, Viktor Tatarintsev, published yesterday Tuesday on the embassy’s website a threatening outcome against the Swedish and Finnish plans to become NATO members.
– The new members of the enemy bloc will become a legitimate target for defense measures on the part of Russia, including of a military nature, writes Tatarintsev.
He also claims that Swedes suffer from fear of Russia and that we are still “embittered by lost imperial ambitions” in the 18th century. With NATO entry, we will become an “obedient American colony”, according to Tatarintsev.
Russia expert Malcolm Dixelius says:
– Russia seriously believes that Sweden’s interest in Ukraine has to do with the fact that we lost the battle of Poltava in 1709. Russia is trapped in its own imperial dream.
The ambassador claims that Sweden is becoming an obedient American colony now?
– That’s what they say about Ukraine too, that they are not fighting for their independence but on behalf of the United States. The Russians themselves think that the country’s greatness lies in the fact that they rule over their immediate surroundings. In the Russian debate, there has never been any idea that they would probably feel good about being a little smaller and taking care of themselves.
Why does he say that Sweden becomes a legitimate target if we join NATO?
– It is clear that we had become a target in a war, regardless of whether we were part of NATO or not. Russia has never spared anyone who declared themselves neutral.
He also writes that in the end there may not be any Ukrainians left, and that Swedes will then be sent to Ukraine to “die for foreign interests”?
– It’s free imaginations. The Ukrainians will not leave their own country, and there is no possibility ever that Russia can occupy Ukraine, either economically or militarily.
What is your reaction to Tatrintsev’s letter to the Swedes?
– He is a fool, a very careless person. I have known him since the 1980s. He has always been a great friend of Sweden, this is probably the best place he can imagine on earth. But his mission in the desperate situation in which Russia finds itself is to act threateningly, to frighten Sweden, says Malcolm Dixelius.
On Wednesday morning, Viktor Tatarintsev was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
– The Foreign Ministry will summon the Russian ambassador to clearly mark against this obvious attempt to influence, stated Sweden’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström in a statement.
The foreign minister added that Sweden’s security policy is determined by Sweden and no one else.