Sweden Raises Level of Alert of Armed Forces due to Dire Situation in Ukraine

The Commander-in-Chief of the Swedish Army, Michael Boden, announced today, Saturday, that Stockholm is ready for "all scenarios for the development of the situation" around Ukraine.

In statements to the Swedish newspaper "Dagens Nyheter", the Swede commander said that he considers the crisis around Ukraine very dangerous.

He added that his country has raised the readiness of its forces to a degree appropriate to the conditions of the current situation, which is dangerous and worrying.

"Of course, we are doing more now, and we are ready to move faster than usual. We are prepared for all scenarios that develop the situation, including those near our borders,” he said.

Boden indicated that the measures taken to raise the level of alert include the strategic island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, to which Sweden returned military forces in 2015 in response to a parliament’s decision to protect the security of this island from any potential threat.

The Swedish Commander-in-Chief said: "In the conditions of tension in Ukraine and in Europe, it is natural that measures to ensure combat readiness also include Gotland and the Baltic Sea. We must be ready to act on various tracks."

"Recently, in Western countries and Ukraine, you have heard allegations about a possible “Russian invasion” of Ukraine”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said previously, adding that these statements are baseless and aimed at escalating the situation.

He noted that Russia does not intend to invade any country. However, Peskov did not rule out the possibility of provocations to justify these allegations, warning that attempts to resolve the crisis by force in the Donbas region (southeast of Ukraine) would have dire consequences.