Scandinavian countries and Finland put their population on alert for a possible war with Russia
Governments in the region have updated and published manuals for the civilian population with recommendations and instructions in case of open conflict.
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The governments of Scandinavian nations and Finland have called on their civilian populations to prepare for an eventual conflict with Russia. These warnings follow the latest escalation of the conflict between Russia and Western nations, sparked by the permission for Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles against targets located in Russia.
In Sweden, for example, citizens are to receive a copy of an instruction manual with preparations and protocols in the event of an open conflict with Russia. Norwegians have also received a similar manual to the Swedes.
The Finnish government, which has a land border of more than 1,300 km with Russia, has also issued an updated version of these instructions, which is available on the internet.
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The stance of the Scandinavian countries and Finland has changed over the past few years and has positioned itself more firmly with the Western bloc. Finland has progressively abandoned the non-aligned stance, in the same way as Sweden, who just over a year ago finally joined NATO after a long process that began with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In the case of Denmark and Norway, their accession to the alliance predates this and they have been among the key pillars of NATO's northern front for years.
The manuals published by each government include lists of items to be stored in homes. They include food items with a long shelf life, such as canned beans, energy bars and pasta, and medicines, including iodine tablets in case of a nuclear accident.
Cold War manuals
A scenario of invasion and open warfare is not entirely new in these countries. In the case of Finland, there was already an open war with the Soviet Union, called the Winter War, between 1939 and 1940, during which Stalin aimed at the annexation of Finland, without success.
After World War II, the countries of the Scandinavian region and Finland designed a military structure focused on territorial defense. There was a fear of a possible invasion until the dissolution of the Soviet Union, a phenomenon that dissipated by the 1990s due to the modern trend of globalization.
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