Contents tagged with Sweden

  • Estonia announces its first joint exercises with the Swedish Air Forces

    The Swedish Air Force, together with the Estonian Air Force will hold AFX18 exercises. Swedish fighters will be deployed to the Ämari Air Base near Tallinn, the website of the Estonian Defense Forces reports.

    "These are the first joint exercises between the Estonian and Swedish Air Force after the restoration of independence," Estonian Air Force Colonel Riivo Valge said. His words are quoted on the Ministry’s website. He noted that the exercises provide an excellent opportunity to practice …

  • Sweden withdraws from Russian lunar mission and joins Chinese one

    The Swedish XSAN device for measurement of neutrals and ions, which was developed for the Russian Luna-25 program, will instead travel to the Earth’s satellite on the Chinese station Chang'e-4, RIA Novosti reports, referencing a letter from the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF).

     “In 2017, our Chinese colleagues suggested sending the manufactured XSAN flight module on the Chinese Chang'e-4 rover in 2018, an opportunity that we could not miss,” letter reads.

    On May 11, IRF reported that …

  • Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs summons Russian ambassador over Kremlin statements regarding Novichok poison

    SVT Nyheter reports that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden has summoned the Russian Ambassador in connection with statements made by Russian diplomats regarding the poisoning agent Novichok.

    Maria Zakharova, official Spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, previously said that the Novichok poison found during the investigation into the attempt on the life of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal could have originated in Sweden. 

     “The most likely source …

  • Sweden and Canada allocate $2 million for restoration of Donbas

    The governments of Canada and Sweden have allocated $2 million for the restoration the Donbas, as reported on the website of the Ministry for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine.

    "As part of the target fund of many partners, the first $2 million was allocated for the restoration and development of peace in Donbas. The funds were provided by the governments of Canada and Sweden and will be administered by the World Bank in accordance with the priorities …

  • Sweden plans to double its defense budget and army size due to Russian aggression

    Sweden intends to increase the strength of the Armed Forces by 2035 from current levels of 50,000 troops to future levels of 120,000 troops, as noted in a new report on national defense strategy submitted by the Swedish Armed Forces, reports The Local.

    The document assumes that the overall defense budget will increase from today's 53 billion kronor ($6.5 billion) per annum to about 115 billion kronor ($14 billion) per annum by 2035.

    The document, called a "prospective study", is formally …

  • Swedish Finance Minister: Stockholm made a mistake accepting so many refugees

    The Swedish finance minister, Magdalena Andersson, in a Friday interview for the newspaper Dagens Nyheter said that Sweden made a mistake by accepting thousands of asylum seekers in 2015.

    It is the first such statement of the politician from the ruling Sweden’s Socialist Working Party, whose coalition government together with the Green Party, welcomed over 163 thousand asylum seekers in 2015.

    "The integration [of immigrants] does not go as it should. We had a problem with it before the autumn …

  • Sweden intends to send military instructors to Ukraine

    Sweden might start training Ukrainian military, Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said in an interview with Ukrinform.

    "Sweden expressed its intention to consider the possibility of the participation of its servicemen in the training of our military personnel next year. The Swedish Defense Minister will arrive in Kyiv in the first quarter of next year to make a final decision on this," he said.

    The Ukrainian army is now being trained by instructors from the United States, Canada, Britain and …

  • Media: Russian mafia carried out cyber-attacks in Sweden

    Swedish media recently released a report about hackers who sent millions of e-mails with viruses over several years. Presumably, cyber-criminals are associated with organized crime in Russia.

    The viruses were disguised as letters from Telia Sverige, a communications company and Postnord postal service. The recipient would be asked to verify the account or perform other operations. After the user clicked the link, the unknowns demanded money to unlock the computer, from 400 kronor to six …

  • Large-scale military exercises begin in Sweden

    Aurora 2017, the largest military exercise in the last 20 years, will be conducted in Sweden from September 11 to September 29, as stated in the Swedish Armed Forces press release.

    Swedish authorities said it is the largest one in recent decades and that it is unique for the country as the exercise will be held at sea, on land and in the air.

    "Aurora 2017 is a first for the Armed Forces and the largest national exercise in more than 20 years," the press release says. The main localities for …

  • Swedish Foreign Minister: Sweden and Lithuania oppose the annexation of the Crimea

    Sweden and Lithuania oppose the illegal annexation of the Crimea by Russia and wish to end its aggression in the Donbas, as stated by Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

    "We came to offer our support and assistance. We stand for international law and for Ukraine to freely choose its future. We also insist that the Crimea is part of Ukraine. We oppose the illegal annexation of the Crimea, and we want an end to Russian aggression in the eastern part of Ukraine," …