Russia can cause Sweden damage in a variety of ways and they will explore exactly how each given situation can be best exploited.
This is the opinion of the Russia expert Keir Giles – who believes that the Swedish wave of violence is fueled by the Kremlin.
– Russia has certainly been looking for ways to exploit and worsen that problem, he says in an interview with TV4 Nyheterna.
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, sabotage against infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, cyber attacks against democracies and wars in the Middle East.
Europe and the world are in the most dangerous period since World War II, according to many experts.
Sweden is by no means isolated from the troubled times and recently the terror threat level was raised to a four on a five-point scale. The recurring Koran burnings and an unprecedented wave of shootings and explosions make Sweden extra vulnerable. Especially since Sweden is still not a full member of the NATO defense alliance.
– Sweden is in a very difficult security political situation due to the fact that NATO membership is not in place yet, says security analyst Hans Tino Hansen, CEO of Risk Intelligence in Copenhagen.
Hansen believes that the gang shootings are something that Putin and Russia are trying to influence and possibly exploit to achieve their goals.
The theory is supported by the author and researcher Keir Giles – although it is difficult to concretely point out what Russia is doing.
– There is no doubt that Russia is trying to persuade individuals to carry out specific acts in order to promote a destabilization of Swedish society, he says.
“Do it to any country they want to seriously harm”
International researchers that TV4 Nyheterna spoke to believe that Moscow can make use of its well-established network of operators in countries such as Iraq and Turkey, where many of the criminal gang leaders have roots and enjoy protection. In addition, Russia may try to increase the flow of illegal weapons and explosives into Sweden.
While Russia cannot be blamed for the root problem of growing, clan-like crime syndicates, the Putin regime is adept at finding weaknesses and sore spots – to, among other things, pit state and citizen against each other and erode trust in institutions.
– Moscow is happy about anything that erodes the social structure of a country. They identify the triggers, pain points that exist in each country that divide society and that promote extremism. They do it against any country they might want to seriously harm in the future, says Keir Giles.