Sweden and Finland want to raise awareness among their populations about preparing for a possible war with various campaigns. While the Swedish Civil Protection Agency (MSB) began sending out five million brochures on Monday, a website with information went online in Finland. “The security situation is serious and we all need to strengthen our resilience to face various crises and ultimately war,” said Swedish MSB Director Mikael Frisell.
The 32-page booklet “When a Crisis or War Comes,” sent out in Sweden, contains information on how people can prepare for emergencies such as war, natural disasters or cyberattacks. It is an updated version of a booklet that has been sent to households in the Scandinavian country five times since the Second World War – most recently in 2018.
According to the MSB, the edition now being sent out places greater emphasis on preparing for a possible war. The brochure is available in Swedish and English, but also in Arabic, Farsi, Ukrainian, Polish, Somali and Finnish.
Information on preparing for various crises is also collected on the website published in neighboring Finland.
Since Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine began in February 2022, Sweden has repeatedly called on its people to prepare mentally and logistically for war. Fear of such a scenario is also great in Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometer-long border with Russia.
In view of the war in Ukraine and the threat from Russia, both countries gave up their decades-long non-alignment and became members of NATO.
