According to the Swedish Security Service (Sapo) on Tuesday, Sweden’s security has improved since joining NATO, but Russian intelligence now views the Nordic nation as a top priority.
“Foreign powers are carrying out vast activities that threaten Sweden’s security. We are seen as part of the collective West and are becoming a pawn in a global game, especially now that we are part of the NATO alliance,” Fredrik Hallstrom, head of operations at Sapo, told a press conference.
According to Charlotte von Essen, the head of Sapo, there have been several events in the last year, such as cyberattacks, drone flights over critical locations, and cable breaks in the Baltic Sea.
“As a NATO ally, we are safer, but we must at the same time be prepared for it meaning a changed and increased interest from the intelligence services, especially from Russia,” von Essen told reporters.
“There is now a risk of sabotage against Sweden,” she added.
The intelligence service claims that the three biggest dangers to the security of the Scandinavian nation are China, Russia, and Iran.
Foreign powers are likewise interested in Swedish assets, Hallstrom continued.
“This concerns, for example, technology procurement, strategic acquisitions, but also possible targets for sabotage. We must be prepared to act both quickly and discerningly,” he said.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sweden ended two centuries of military non-alignment to become the newest member of NATO’s transatlantic security alliance in March 2024.
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