Threats to Sweden’s security are increasing and are coming mainly from Russia amid a rise in disinformation campaigns, according to the latest report from the Swedish Security Services (Säpo) released Wednesday.
Russia, together with China and Iran, are increasingly going on the offence, posing a severe threat to Sweden’s security that includes cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns, said Säpo.
“Sweden’s security is being challenged from several directions,” the Security Service’s head, Charlotte von Essen, told a press conference.
The threat to Sweden is indeed becoming more complex as several authoritarian countries interact to a greater extent than before, the security agency states.
In the report, Russia was nevertheless singled out as the greatest threat, partly because Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime is deemed to be inclined to take great risks. According to the Säpo, Russia conducts extensive intelligence activities against Sweden.
“Russia regards Sweden as part of Europe, NATO and the collective West. This means that we must prepare ourselves for an increase in the number of security-threatening activities from Russia,” said Säpo’s head of counterintelligence Daniel Stenling.
At the same time, China is seen by Säpo as a long-term and growing threat, while Iran is described as a tangible security threat.
“Russia and other authoritarian states have become increasingly offensive in their actions, and security-threatening activities are ongoing. Developments in the world are also contributing to growing extremism, an increased threat of attacks and a broader threat to the constitution. All in all, this means that the threat to Sweden is increasing,” she added.
In the past months, Sweden has also faced an increased threat of attacks, fuelled in particular by the Quran-burning incident near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm last month. This is also why the terror threat level in Sweden remains at an elevated level, a three on a five-point scale.
Säpo further noted that the threat of attacks from violent Islamist extremism and violent right-wing extremism persists and is even increasing as conspiracy theories and anti-state messages are widely spread online.
“This development means that the agendas of foreign powers and violent extremists often coincide,” said von Essen.
According to Säpo, Sweden is lacking in protecting security-sensitive activities across sectors, even though this could lead to the disclosure of information about the country’s defence capabilities. (Charles Szumski | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
