Why Sweden fears Russian interest in its Baltic Sea island of Gotland

At the weekend, tanks from the Swedish army drove up to the otherwise idyllic Swedish Baltic Sea island of Gotland. Soldiers patrolled Visby’s historic harbor for days. The Scandinavians are flexing their muscles in the Ukraine conflict with Russia. After all, Sweden could be a highly attractive military target for Vladimir Putin. In the meantime, further troops of soldiers have arrived on the island via an American C-17 transport plane.

Many a person might be wondering why these military power games are taking place on an island of all places, which many Germans are familiar with from the film adaptations of Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking books. The secret is Gotland’s strategically important location in the Baltic Sea. As the editorial network Germany reports, scenarios are already being played out in NATO circles in which Russia could take the island for military attacks against its neighboring countries.

Gotland could be Sweden’s undoing

The Swedish government is preparing for the fact that Russia could attack not only Ukraine but also Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the next few days or weeks. Should the Russians succeed in installing their S400 missile system on Gotland, they would have almost surrounded the Baltic republics and would have control of the entire airspace of the Baltic Sea within a radius of 400 kilometers.

The move could also prevent American intervention. Takeoffs and landings in Sweden would then be almost impossible. Even modern bombers from the American army would then hardly be able to come to the aid of the Baltic states.

Concerns in Sweden’s population grew in recent days when Russia allowed three large landing craft to sail through the Baltic Sea at the same time. The naval ships had entered Denmark through the straits of the Great Belt.

Misinformation is circulating on the internet

In any case, the mood among the population of the Scandinavian country is gloomy. After a few drone sightings over Stockholm, some nuclear power plants and the private residence of the Swedish royal couple, the domestic news service Säkerhetspolisen has now started investigating. Russia’s participation has not yet been confirmed. Still, many people worry about a Russian air and missile attack.

The Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reports a wave of misinformation circulating on social media. Lurid video clips are doing the rounds on TikTok in particular, warning of an impending war and an invasion by Russia. According to Aftonbladet, the children’s rights organization BRIS registered a large number of calls from frightened children and young people.

Could Sweden now join NATO?

The security policy crisis in Europe is also fueling the age-old debate about Sweden’s possible accession to the international military alliance NATO. The country has maintained very close ties with NATO since the 1990s and has also taken part in military missions in Afghanistan. However, like neighboring Finland, it is not a permanent member.

In Sweden, however, Russia’s requirement that no other country should now be allowed to join NATO is felt to be encroaching. “Whether we do it or not is entirely up to us,” said Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde. The Kremlin recently threatened “serious consequences” if Sweden joins the alliance. Since the Russian annexation of Crimea, Stockholm has increased its military budget again. Conscription was even reintroduced four years ago.

However, anyone who believes that the current tensions can be neglected is delusional, according to the head of the Swedish military intelligence service, Lena Hallin. “We are far from normal when it comes to the security of our country.”

Sources:, , , AFP,