Nordic countries prepare their civil defense for war – DW – 11/23/2024

The Russian war in Ukraine has made the security situation in the Baltic region more tense, and the Nordic countries have taken steps to improve their military capabilities, increasing defense budgets. In the case of Finland and Sweden, they also joined NATO.

However, the preparedness of the armed forces in war is not the only thing that matters, and civil defense plays a very important role. Finland, Sweden and Norway published preparedness guides for their citizens. Finland issued its own in digital format, while Norway and Sweden sent physical copies of the instructions to every household.

The guides are designed for extreme weather events, pandemics and conflicts, and cover a variety of topics, from having enough water and food for a week to how to act in an evacuation situation and dealing with power outages.

The Finnish and Norwegian guide titles focus more broadly on emergency situations. In the Finnish case it is “Preparedness for incidents and crises”, and in Norwegian it is “How you can play your part in Norway’s preparedness for emergencies”.

On the other hand, the Swedish title emphasizes the possibility of armed conflict: “in case of crisis or war.” The guide says that in times of uncertainty, with war in that corner of the world, terrorism, cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns are used to undermine and influence Sweden.

The guide’s introduction reads, “To resist these threats, we must stand united. If Sweden is attacked, we must all play our part to protect the country’s freedom and our democracy.”

Mikael Frisell, director of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, said in a statement that the national security situation has changed dramatically and everyone needs to strengthen their resilience in the face of various crises and ultimately war.

Long history of civil defense

Preparedness for emergencies is nothing new in the Nordic countries. These guides date back to World War II and the Cold War, and these new publications serve as updates to existing information.

Jussi Korhonen, Finland’s civil preparedness director, told DW that although there is no direct military threat against the country or its Scandinavian neighbors, the global security situation has become very volatile and difficult to predict. That’s why it’s important to keep these guides updated.

“Population preparation takes a long time. It is not a project but a process in which one must have a certain level of knowledge to face different types of situations,” he explained.

The Finnish guide has already been downloaded by almost 400 thousand people. According to Korhonen, 60 percent of the country’s residents are already prepared and have purchased three days’ worth of emergency supplies such as food and water for their homes. “The goal is to inspire the remaining 40 percent to do the same,” he said.

What is the situation in Sweden?

David Firm, a university student in Gothenburg, Sweden, said preparations for war are not among people’s priorities right now. “Once the prescriptions reach the entire population, I think there will be a little more concern,” he told DW. “But eventually people will calm down again, there will be no panic.”

In his opinion, it is better for people to know how to act and how to prepare for unexpected scenarios, and it is good to have this information available, beyond the panic it may cause.

Ludwig Carlberg, who works in a start up Stockholm also believes that the idea of ​​war is not in the minds of citizens in Sweden. He said, “People are not really making the connection between Russia’s war in Ukraine and its impact on our way of life. I think people in certain industries are more aware, such as people working in cybersecurity. “

For Carlberg, while people fear Russia and war, they also have an naive idea of ​​the country’s position in the conflict. Therefore, he believes that “it is better to have this guide at hand, because the problem is more serious now.”

What is happening in Finland?

The sense of danger is high in the Finnish city of Lappeenranta, near the Russian border. Marika Keseli, a teacher who works in that city, knows that although she is never completely prepared for an emergency, it is best to be prepared for the worst.

“In school we don’t usually talk about the possibility of war, it’s a very difficult topic,” he told DW. But when we are among friends, sometimes we discuss this topic. But moving away from the border and finding a new job somewhere else is quite complicated, so we try to believe that one day this world will be more peaceful and there will be hope.”

(dzc/rr)