Russia will pose the most serious threat to Sweden's security until 2030.
This is stated in the government's new national security strategy.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (The Moderate Party) and national security adviser Henrik Landerholm are presenting the new strategy at a press conference. The strategy is intended to guide decisions when weighing different societal interests.
It is important to prioritize the right things at the right time, says Kristersson.
He emphasizes that much needs to be done to strengthen security and that time is of the essence.
Broad and serious threat
"The threat to Sweden is broad and serious in the current security situation," the government writes in the strategy. It is also assessed that the deteriorated security situation will persist for the foreseeable future, and that there is a risk of it deteriorating further.
The strategy identifies three focus areas for national security work.
The first concerns protection against external threats. Although Russia has suffered significant losses, Russia's military strength remains significant, according to the strategy.
Russia will pose the most serious threat to Sweden's security until 2030.
This is a reasonable and foreseeable timeframe for assessing global developments. Russia can, on the one hand, be bogged down in Ukraine, and on the other hand, has transitioned to a war economy and has the potential to further strengthen itself militarily, says Landerholm.
The government reiterates that an armed attack on Sweden cannot be ruled out.
Crime and extremism
The second focus area concerns protecting democracy and social cohesion, including combating organized crime that threatens the system and violent extremism.
The shadow society "can in itself pose a security threat," according to the strategy.
It also states that large migration flows pose a risk, as individuals with antagonistic intentions may follow. There is also a risk that migrants will be exploited as tools to create instability and that they can be used as leverage against Sweden, according to the strategy.
Internal and external security are interconnected. There are strong links. Foreign powers want to exploit the fact that there are violent individuals in Sweden, says Kristersson.
The third focus area concerns strengthening Sweden's resilience, securing competitiveness, and supply preparedness.
The old national security strategy was developed by the previous Social Democratic-led government in 2017.
