Sweden increased its military presence on the Baltic Sea island of Gotland, about 330 kilometers from Kaliningrad, home to Russia’s main Baltic fleet, a week ago.
Officials explained that this did not mean a higher level of emergency, but a reallocation of resources as needed.
On Thursday, the army released photos showing the soldiers and additional equipment.
Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist visited the troops on Gotland on Wednesday. He stated that this operation, which demonstrates Swedish solidarity, would not be stopped within a week.
“We must remain persistent,” the minister said.
Hultquist recently said that “Russia’s unacceptable actions threaten” European security.
A few days ago, Russian landing craft were observed in the Baltic Sea. A total of six ships were seen in the area, more than usual, according to the news agency TT.
The ships then left the Baltic Sea, but due to bad weather, three were anchored in the Kattegat, between the east coast of the Jutland Peninsula and the west coast of the Swedish part of the Scandinavian Peninsula.
Sweden, like neighboring Finland, is not a member of NATO, but has a close relationship with the Alliance. Finland is regularly discussing possible NATO membership.
Over the weekend, a large Russian cargo plane made a long flight into Finnish airspace, reports Finnish radio station Yle.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is scheduled to meet with Finnish and Swedish foreign ministers on Monday.
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