“Be prepared for war” leaflet was given to 4.8 million people in Sweden

“Be prepared for war” leaflet was given to 4.8 million people in Sweden

Defense instruction is distributed to all houses. The leaflet will help people to prepare in the case of an attack and will increase the country’s overall defensive capability.

For more than half a century, the Swedish authorities haven’t issued information documents in the event of a crisis or war. People should know how to provide themselves with food, water, and heat if the country is in danger. It also provides information on how to find a bomb shelter, and how to respond to warning signals.

A 20-page leaflet showing images of sirens, military equipment and families who are forced to leave their homes. The document also prepares Swedes for such modern threats as cyber attacks, terrorist attacks, climate change, the spread of misinformation in modern media.

The leaflet claims that despite Sweden’s high level of security, there are still certain threats to its independence and security.

Authorities urge people to worry about their safety:

“If you are prepared, this will affect the country’s overall ability to cope with difficult situations”.

For the first time, a leaflet with similar content was published in Sweden in 1943, during World War II. Then the authorities constantly stamped new updated versions of the information message to the population for eight years. This happened until 1961, and after that leaflets were issued at the level of local and national authorities.

“Society is quite vulnerable to hostilities, so training is needed not only for the population but for every citizen”, — commented Dan Eliasson, a member of the Swedish Civil Security Agency.

He said that despite the experience of world wars, there is a certain lack of information among the modern population regarding behavior during an insecure situation in the country.

The reason for the publication in the Swedish information space is related to the increased security debate, the possibility of the country joining NATO after the incident with the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014, as well as the recent incursions into the airspace and territorial waters of Sweden of Russian aircraft and submarines.

Last year, the Swedish authorities organized large-scale military exercises, canceling the reduction in military spending. Sweden also voted to call up for military service and announced joint plans with Denmark to combat cyber attacks and misinformation from Russia resources.

The “Be Prepared for War” leaflet teaches Swedes how to deal with difficult times. The text contains instructions on how to behave in the absence of heating, food, drinking water, communications, the Internet and access to ATMs.

On the recommendations page, citizens are advised to stock up with water bottles, warm clothes, sleeping bags, food that doesn’t require cooking.

In the event of armed conflict, each person between the ages of 16 and 70 years, as reported, may be called to take part in the war.

In Sweden, there haven’t been wars with other countries for more than two hundred years. The leaflet reports on the country’s strategy in case of an attack:

“If it is attacked, we will never give up. All information to the effect that resistance is to cease is false”.