The Swedish government announced today, in a press release also translated into Russian, that it conducted war simulation exercises involving the King of Sweden, the Crown Princess, the armed forces, and members of parliament.

This is the first time since the 1990s that military exercises of this scale have been organized with the participation of all these entities, the government emphasized.

“These exercises were initiated by the government. It is important to conduct joint exercises, especially given the current security situation. Step by step and exercise by exercise, we are strengthening Sweden’s total defense and resilience,” said Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in a press release.

The exercises were based on a scenario involving either the declaration of war or the threat of war, aiming to “discuss measures to maintain Sweden’s security” in such a situation.

“These exercises concern the management of incidents and situations, both nationally and internationally, that could raise challenges or tensions for Sweden, for Swedish citizens, or for Swedish interests,” according to the press release.

Following this paragraph, a Russian translation of the announcement was provided.

Russia is identified as the main threat to Sweden, according to the country’s intelligence and defense services. Stockholm accelerated its military spending increase after the invasion of Ukraine and its planned NATO accession in 2024. It intends to allocate 300 billion kronor (27 billion euros) over 10 years to this effort.