Nordic nations are instructing their citizens to prepare for a potential attack by Russia, sending pamphlets and emails to millions of homes with advice on seeking shelter and stockpiling supplies as Moscow threatens nuclear war.
The 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin’s forces drove Sweden and Finland to increase spending on defence and abandon decades of neutrality to join NATO.
Troops from across the bloc are currently conducting drills in Lapland, 70 miles from the Finnish-Russian border, with 28 nations taking part in what are the largest artillery exercises in NATO’s history.
Now, 1,000 days on from the start of the Ukraine conflict, the alliance’s newest members have issued advice on how to survive in wartime, alerting citizens to the potential threats they might face and how to tackle them.
Finland has reminded its citizens of their ‘national defence obligation’, while Sweden has laid out a detailed guide on how to seek shelter and what to do in case of a nuclear attack.
Their instruction manuals follow similar advice issued by their Baltic neighbours Norway and Denmark, which both put out checklists for food and medicine supplies citizens should have ready.
Vladimir Putin today rewrote Russia’s nuclear doctrine to suggest he might trigger Armageddon if Ukraine strikes his territory with NATO supplied weapons.
Moscow appears to be taking the possibility seriously, with reports today that it is launching a mass production of mobile nuclear war shelters.
As Russia and NATO members prepare their citizens for war, both logistically and psychologically, looks at the advice issued to the populations of four Nordic countries.
Sweden
More than five million Swedish households are currently being sent bright yellow booklets entitled ‘If Crisis or War Comes’.
The pamphlets, sent out by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), contain information about how to prepare for emergencies such as war, natural disasters, cyber attacks and terrorism.
‘An insecure world requires preparedness. The military threat to Sweden has increased and we must prepare for the worst – an armed attack,’ its new introduction states.
In an excerpt which harks back to advice given by governments during the darkest days of the Cold War, it informs people of the risk of nuclear weapons being used.
‘The global security situation increases the risks that nuclear weapons could be used. In the event of an attack with nuclear, biological or chemical weapons, take cover in the same way as in an air attack,’ the pamphlet instructs readers.
‘Shelter provides the best protection. After a couple of days, the radiation has decreased significantly,’ it advises, adding that people will be warned of attacks over the radio and should go to basements or subways if there is no better option.
Another message, which has been brought forward from the middle of the booklet in the updated version, reads: ‘If Sweden is attacked by another country, we will never give up. All information to the effect that resistance is to cease is false.’
Sweden’s Defense last month described Russia as ‘the principal threat to Sweden’, adding that it constitutes ‘a threat to the whole [NATO] alliance.’
The risk of a Russian attack on the country ‘cannot be excluded,’ Pal Jonson added in an interview with Politico.
Earlier this year, the commander in chief of Sweden’s military, General Micael Byden, warned Swedes to ‘mentally prepare for war’.
‘The state of the world has worsened drastically in recent years. War is being waged in our vicinity,’ the Swedish civil contingencies agency said as it released the new guidance this week.
‘If we are attacked, everyone must help defend Sweden’s independence and our democracy.’
Finland
Meanwhile the Finnish government has published a digital booklet to prepare citizens for ‘incidents and crises.’
Helsinki said it decided not to print a copy for every home as others have as such an undertaking ‘would cost millions’.
They added that a digital version could be updated more easily, in case of new emerging threats.
In a section addressing military conflict, it assures people that the country ‘has always been prepared for the worst possible threat, war’ and that they are ‘well prepared for self defence.’
But, the country, which requires national service from its citizens, also takes the opportunity to remind them that ‘national defence belongs to everyone’.
‘All Finnish citizens have a national defence obligation, and everyone plays an important role in defending Finland,’ it states.
‘Preparedness is a civic skill in the current global situation,’ said the head of Rescue Services at Finland’s interior ministry. ‘Knowing what to do in case of an incident is a good foundation for society’s resilience.’
Denmark
Earlier this year, Denmark’s emergency management agency announced it was emailing Danish adults details of the water, food and medicine they would need to survive a crisis situation.
It cites the ‘deteriorating security situation in Europe’ as a serious threat to Denmark and says cyber attacks and sabotage are possibilities people should prepare for.
The booklet advises that people should be ready to ‘manage on their own for three days in case of a crisis’.
This, it says, will allow the authorities to ‘focus on stabilising the situation and helping where the need is greatest.’
They recommend people keeping plenty of water, food, medicines and first aid kits in their home.
In the event of a nuclear accident, it says the most important advice is to stay indoors and listen to authorities.
During a nuclear accident radioactive iodine can be dispersed in the air.
It can and absorbed by the thyroid gland when a person either inhales this contaminated air or ingests contaminated food and drinks.
Iodine tablets block the absorption of radioactive iodine by the thyroid gland and lower the risk of a person contracting thyroid cancer.
However, they only provide protection against radioactive iodine and not other radioactive substances.
People are also advised to stay indoors to avoid radiation.
Source: Norwegian Radiation and Safety Authority
It recommends that people should keep a supply of iodine tablets with them to be used by people under the age of 40 and pregnant and breastfeeding women in the case of a nuclear accident.
Norway
Like their neighbours in Sweden, Norwegians have recently been sent emergency preparedness pamphlets by their government.
The booklets give them advice on how to manage on their own for a week in the event of extreme weather, power outages and, ‘in the worst case’, are impact the country.
Some 2.2 million copies of the pamphlet have been sent out, according to Norwegian authorities.
Advice was previously published in 2018, but this year’s updated version suggests further preparations authorities consider necessary in the current climate of uncertainty.
The recommended duration to be prepared for self-preparedness has been increased from at least three days to one week.
More detailed advice on topics such as critical media understanding and places to stay in crises.
In addition, some completely new topics have been added – common self-preparedness and mental health in crises.
duration of self-preparedness increases from at least three days to one week
Iodine tablets (applies to children and adults under 40 years of age, pregnant or breastfeeding).
It comes after Norway’s King Harald made a stark warning in his New Year’s speech last year: ‘We cannot take peace and freedom, resources and common goods for granted.
‘We must stand guard! Norway’s preparedness is, when it comes down to it, the sum of each individual’s resilience.’
Center Party politician Kathrine Kleveland warned this month that there are increased global threats facing her country which the government is dealing with.
‘The world is changing with various bloc formations and the balance of power between great powers such as the USA and China,’ she wrote in Nationen.
‘Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has also created a security policy crisis globally and in Europe.’
The government, she said, is responding by increasing defence spending by around a third, stepping up Norway’s readiness for war.
‘After the Cold War, many activities and measures related to so-called war planning within social security were discontinued and given lower priority,’ she said. ‘The pendulum is now swinging.’