Like him, 60% of Danes indicated, in a survey carried out in June, that they had already stored food and drinks or were considering doing so, following the recommendations of Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.
Enough to last three days
During a speech on the island of Bornholm, the minister said in mid-June that “all Danes had to have enough basic necessities for three days.” Denmark, a vocal critic of Russia and staunch defender of Ukraine, finds itself in a “situation grave” he believes, urging the Danes to be “prepared for crisis and hybrid warfare” which would put communications and distribution devices out of service, particularly water and electricity.
Certainly he does not expect to see “Russian soldiers on the streets in the near future“, he added, showing confidence in the protective umbrella of NATO of which the Scandinavian kingdom is one of the founding countries. But vigilance is required in the face of the Russian threat which hovers over the Nordic countries.
The third time since 1962
This is the third time since 1962 in the midst of the Cold War that the Danish authorities have issued crisis recommendations to citizens. In Copenhagen, Lotte S, in her seventies, “followed the instructions to the letter”storing food in his apartment since the summer. “Just in case, you never know“, she said.
“The war between Ukraine and Russia continues and worries us because it risks leading to a larger conflict in Europe where we are on the front line. This is why we must prepare for the worst“, adds Lotte. Especially, she emphasizes again, that “our Swedish neighbors fear a Russian invasion“.
“The Swedes must prepare for the worst”
On the other side of the Oeresund Strait, Sweden announced on Monday the distribution of 5.2 million brochures in several languages in the coming days and weeks to prepare its population for a potential conflict, even if the The name of Russia is not formally mentioned there.
The 32-page leaflet indicates “an increase in the military threat” weighing on the country, which will become a member of the Atlantic Alliance in 2023, noting that “the Swedes must prepare for the worst, for an armed attack”.
Already in January, the Minister of Civil Defense, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, warned against “a possible war in Sweden“, alarmist remarks supported by Micael Bydén, commander-in-chief of the armed forces. According to him “Sweden finds itself in the most difficult security situation since the Second World War.
“The threat to us comes from Russia, which continues to wage a large-scale war. We cannot exclude that it will spread, which means that we must prepare ourselves as much as possible, at all levels, throughout society.” he pointed out at the beginning of this year on the public channel SVT.
In Malmö, in the south of the country, Gunnar and his wife, Britta, wait “the leaflet from the authorities to know what to do.” “We have already stocked up on long-life products in our cellar, as a precaution. We must prepare for the worst with Putin“, observes Gunnar. This retiree for his part “regrets that Sweden abandoned its status as a non-aligned country to join NATO.” “Neutrality protected us for two centuries“, he judges.
Neighboring Finland and Norway, also members of NATO and which share borders with Russia, have also provided advice to their populations to prepare for a possible serious crisis, or even war.
