Sweden is modernising its bunkers after warning its citizens to be prepared for war (Image: Getty)
Sweden has announced a £7.7million plan to modernise its civil defence bunkers after warning Swedes to prepare for the risk of war. The Scandinavian country which shares a border with Russia has 64,000 such bunkers. Space is said to be sufficient enough for seven million people, almost three quarters of Sweden’s 10.5 million population.
The country’s Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) is reported to be inspecting the shelters, some of which can accommodate thousands of people. The bunkers offer protection against the blast and heatwaves triggered by a nuclear weapon as well as radioactive fallout, gas from chemical or biological weapons and bomb fragments.
MSB said on Monday (April 1) that the modernisation work would take two to three years, with work already underway on 25 of the 80 largest shelters.
Ulf Kristersson says his country ‘is not at war, but there is no peace either’ (Image: Getty)
Sweden’s action comes amid rising tensions over the war in Ukraine and doubts over US President Donald Trump‘s commitment to defending Europe.
In January, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said his country “is not at war, but there is no peace either” in the run up to Sweden marking a year since it joined the NATO military alliance.
Mr Kristersson has vowed to increase defence spending to 2.4% this year, rising to 2.6% in three years as Sweden seeks to strengthen its armed forces after slashing military spending after the Cold War ended.
Authorities in Sweden reactivated the country’s “total defence” strategy in 2015 after Russia‘s illegal annexation of Crimea. It combines both civil and military defence action.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced today (April 1) that RAF fighter jets will patrol Poland’s airspace on NATO’s eastern flank.
British-built Typhoon jets arrived in eastern Poland on Tuesday from RAF Lossiemouth to take part in a “NATO enhanced air policing mission”.
Sweden is boosting its defence spending in the face of threats from countries including Russia (Image: Getty)
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The MoD said six UK Typhoon fighter jets from II (AC) Squadron will be deployed alongside Swedish Airforce Gripen fighter jets.
Defence minister Lord Coaker met with his Polish counterpart Wladyslaw Marcin Kosiniak-Kamysz and Swedish defence minister Pal Jonson on Tuesday to “outline the UK’s commitment to European security and to mark the start of the operation”.
The deployment is the first time Swedish fighter jets will take part in air policing on the territory of another NATO ally since Stockholm joined the alliance last year.
In April 2024, six Typhoon fighter jets with more than 200 personnel were stationed in Romania to defend NATO’s eastern border.
This was followed in August 2024 with the deployment of four F-35B jets to Iceland, defending NATO airspace in the north.
