Russia's foreign minister warns Sweden off Nato

[Crispin]

http://www.thelocal.se/20160428/russ...weden-off-nato

Russia will "take the necessary military-technical action" at its northernmost borders if Sweden joins Nato, Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Dagens Nyheter daily.

Lavrov said Russia would feel compelled to take action if Nato’s military infrastructure stretched to Sweden.

“It’s every country’s right to decide what form its security should take, but one must understand that if military infrastructure approaches Russia's borders, we would of course have to take the necessary military-technical action. There’s nothing personal in it; it’s just business,” Lavrov told Dagens Nyheter (DN).

When asked what measures Russia was likely to put in place, he said:

“That’s not my job. It’s up to the military, the defence ministry, and the Russian general staff. When they see what potential there is at the other side of the border – right at our border or a little further from our border, then they know what capacity exists there and what can be expected if Nato suddenly decides to stop us in a ‘hot’ way.”

Lavrov also blamed Sweden for a cooling off in relations between the countries after the revolution in Kiev that dislodged Ukraine’s pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, and Russia’s subsequent annexation of Crimea.

He spoke of the solid trade relations and political dialogue that had prevailed before the Ukraine crisis, adding that Russia had always viewed Sweden as a good neighbour.

“But all of that was stopped by our Swedish colleagues; it didn’t happen on our initiative,” Lavrov told DN.

“From Stockholm we got the message that contacts would be frozen and that Sweden was adhering to the EU’s sanctions. This was a result of Brussels for some reason taking offence at our reaction to the armed coup in Kiev,” he said, repeating Moscow's line on the events of February 2014 that left dozens of Ukrainians dead.

Relations between Sweden and Russia have been tense in recent years.

Russia carried out a practice nuclear attack against Sweden in 2013, according to a Nato report.

Sweden’s security service Säpo has described Russia as the country’s biggest security threat.

And in October 2014, a foreign submarine – suspected of being Russian, although this was never confirmed – was spotted in Swedish waters just outside Stockholm. A number of Russian planes have also been spotted in, or close to, Swedish airspace over the past two years.

Original article http://fokus.dn.se/lavrov/ (in swedish)

When you consider that Russia, according to NATO, practiced a Nuclear attack on Sweden in 2013, the warning seems abit hollow, I fail to see how they'd go any further than that other than actually attacking Sweden (which they wont).

Is it about time Sweden and Finland joined NATO? Or should they stay "neutral"?

[Deleted]

Sweden should treasure their neutrality. Why would anyone join NATO now? I mean unless you think russia will come up and attack Europe. lol.

[Mavett]

Sweden should remain neutral and drop on its knees and ask for forgiveness from Russia for even considering it.

[Summer]

Speaking for Finland, really hope we won't. I have no interest in seeing my sons potentially sent off to some war the Americans decide to start where-ever. There's no point for Russia to attack us as we are, if there ever was a larger conflict (like happened in WW2) where we ended up on different sides NATO couldn't do shit for us anyways.

We're a tiny country next to a huge one, our economy depends on being friends with Russia. To join NATO and piss them off would be idiotic.

[Wyrt]

Why would they want to join NATO anyway? So the US can drag them into a new conflict every 5 years?

[Deleted]

Only takes 1 Russian nuke to defeat Sweden. And since it's such a short distance, there is no stopping it either.

[zealo]

Russia doesn't want us to join NATO so the Americans can't put up a naval base on Gotland for Baltic Sea control, that's basically what its about.

[Deleted]

Russia doesn't want us to join NATO so the Americans can't put up a naval base on Gotland for Baltic Sea control, that's basically what its about.

whats the big advantage of an island compared to a base in germany/poland/latvia/estonia/lithuania?

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Only takes 1 Russian nuke to defeat Sweden. And since it's such a short distance, there is no stopping it either.

would probably take 6-12 warheads tbh. 3 major cities prolly take at least 2 to at least start fires in all population areas, and then 1 or 2 key military installations, which might get multiple warheads each to ensure a hit.

[Crispin]

Do Swedes expect NATO to come to their rescue, if a clash would happen with Russia? I could imagine some swedes would see their EU membership as an indirect NATO protection.

[Deleted]

whats the big advantage of an island compared to a base in germany/poland/latvia/estonia/lithuania?

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would probably take 6-12 warheads tbh. 3 major cities prolly take at least 2 each and then 1 or 2 key military installations, which might get multiple warheads each to ensure a hit.

Just throw one of the bigger warheads somewhere in the middle.
No one will start a fight or retaliate after that.

[Deleted]

whats the big advantage of an island compared to a base in germany/poland/latvia/estonia/lithuania?

Russia has previously simulated attacks and takeover of Gotland. If they could get a hold on it, they effectively would have control over all of Baltic Sea, including Danish Straits and even Skagerrak.

Russia has always, for some odd reason, considered Baltic Sea their little private lake. That`s why they`re so touchy about it.

[Deleted]

Sweden should remain neutral and drop on its knees and ask for forgiveness from Russia for even considering it.

Sweden shouldn't kneel to anyone. Not kneeling to NATO doesn't mean kneeling to Russia and vice versa

[Summer]

Do Swedes expect NATO to come to their rescue, if a clash would happen with Russia? I could imagine some swedes would see their EU membership as an indirect NATO protection.

Can't speak for Swedes but for Finns: Certainly don't expect it and don't see what NATO could do for us other than turn my country into a battlefield between US and Russia. I'd rather we were quickly defeated than get to experience a US "victory" first hand such a Iraq or Afghanistan.

[Deleted]

Sweden shouldn't kneel to anyone. Not kneeling to NATO doesn't mean kneeling to Russia and vice versa

Only an idiot could interpret NATO relationships with its member states as serfdom.

[Skroe]

Sweden should change the letterhead and get their NATO flag out of the storage locker. After a vote, that's about all it would take.

It should absolutely do it. Sweden is a remarkable country and would be a valued contributor to the Atlantic Alliance.

It's also certainly worth defending, especially from the Russian threat. I have a very deep admiration for Sweden and it's people. Its one of the few countries in the world I hope I can stay in for like a year or something one day.

[Nathreim]

Russia wont do shit. This is saber rattling just like North Korea does from time to time.

[Dezerte]

Bold words coming from the country who has violated our air-space several times these last few years.

[Deleted]

Russia has previously simulated attacks and takeover of Gotland. If they could get a hold on it, they effectively would have control over all of Baltic Sea, including Danish Straits and even Skagerrak.

Russia has always, for some odd reason, considered Baltic Sea their little private lake. That`s why they`re so touchy about it.

I was going to say "well then i guess there is at least a big swedish base there?". But then i checked wiki and apparently there isn't anymore.

[Mavett]

Sweden shouldn't kneel to anyone. Not kneeling to NATO doesn't mean kneeling to Russia and vice versa

You take shit to seriously Irish man.

[Deleted]

Sweden and Finland are in the EU. Chances of Russia attacking EU are similar to winning the lotto 5 times in a row.

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You take shit to seriously Irish man.

Uh you wanna see me I'm all worked up now