Author: Samuel Osborne
Posted: 22/3/17
Sweden is reportedly preparing hundreds of nuclear war shelters to prepare for a potential attack
from Russia amid growing concerns in the Baltics.
The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) has ordered a review of 350 civilian bunkers on
the Baltic Sea island of Gotland, where Sweden has stationed permanent troops.
The shelters are designed to protect people against the shock wave and radiation from a nuclear
detonation, as well as chemical and biological weapons.
Mats Berglund, head of civil protection at the MSB, told Sverige Radio the shelters should be
checked by the end of the year.
The island’s 350 shelters have capacity for around 35,000 people, although Gotland has a
population of nearly 60,000.
Over 65,000 shelters were established during the Cold War to protect the Swedish population from
the potential threat of nuclear warfare.
All of the shelters are marked with a distinctive orange and blue logo, along with the word
skyddsrum (shelter).
It comes after the head of Sweden’s intelligence agency warned there is «a real and serious threat
against the security» of the country.
While Sapo head Anders Thornberg did not explicitly mention Russia, the country has been
building up its military in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its «increasing pressure» in
the region.
Non-Nato member Sweden has been upgrading its military with a sharp hike in spending and has
urged local governments to prepare their civil defence infrastructure and procedures for a future
war.
It recently reintroduced a military draft for both men and women over concerns about increased
military action in the Baltic region.
Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist said the left-leaning government was reintroducing the draft
because of a deteriorating security environment in Europe and around Sweden
the SAFIA Blog 