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Sweden, Finland and Norway have recently updated their advice for citizens preparing to survive war and other crises, wary of Ukraine’s grinding fight against Russia.
By Christina AndersonJohanna LemolaHenrik Pryser Libell and Amelia Nierenberg
Christina Anderson reported from Stockholm; Johanna Lemola reported from Helsinki, Finland; and Henrik Pryser Libell reported from Oslo.
Nov. 19, 2024, 1:47 p.m. ET
The last time that Sweden updated the crisis preparedness advice it distributes nationwide, Russia had not yet launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Sweden had not joined NATO in response.
Six years later, Ukraine is locked in a grinding war with Russia. World leaders are preparing for the United States to become more protectionist with Donald J. Trump as president again. And climate threats continue to grow.
“We live in uncertain times,” Sweden told its citizens in a new edition of its emergency readiness pamphlet, which the government began distributing to households on Monday.
Its Nordic neighbors recently made similar moves. Finland published a consolidated online version of its crisis preparedness on Monday, and Denmark and Norway sent out their guidance earlier this year. They are trying to better prepare people for a world rife with security threats, disinformation, cyberattacks and climate disasters.
While the new guides do not directly mention Russia, which borders Finland and Norway, Swedish and Finnish officials told The New York Times on Tuesday that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had informed their decision.
“The biggest difference is the increased focus of war preparedness — and the more severe tone of the warnings,” said Svante Werger, a preparedness adviser at the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency.
