NATO’s newest member says it’s ready to fortify a strategic island in the middle of the Baltic Sea close to Russia

by Bgrdfino

8 comments

  1. >Sweden is open to re-fortifying a crucial island in the Baltic Sea now that it’s joined NATO, its prime minister said.
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    >Ulf Kristersson told The Financial Times that reinforcing Gotland is among the first things that Sweden will discuss with its NATO partners following the country joining the military alliance.
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    >Gotland, an island with a population of about 60,000, sits roughly 50 miles from the Swedish coast — and 150 miles from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
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    >Strengthening Gotland “is one obvious thing to be discussed with our new NATO allies,” Kristersson told the FT.
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    >”Everything to do with the Baltic Sea is such an obvious candidate,” Kristersson said. “That goes in terms of presence on Gotland, but also in terms of surveillance, in terms of submarine capabilities.”
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    >…
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    >Gotland can decisively impact the defense of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Poland due to its location.

  2. Putin has already cost Russia their Black Sea Fleet, their traditional warm-water port, the neutrality of their neighbors, its language and influence abroad, and so much else.

    Perhaps, as the cherry on top of it all, he will cost Russia Kaliningrad too…

  3. Ahh I see….
    The current Swedish government has also played countless hours of HOI4

  4. Sweden knows Russia is bogged down in Ukraine. They are going to take full advantage of their place in NATO and beef up every defensive position they have.

    Everything that would have been considered provocative years ago is now possible. Fortress Sweden 2.0 is here, and it is going to be permanent.

  5. Sweden knows Russia is bogged down in Ukraine. They are going to take full advantage of their place in NATO and beef up every defensive position they have.

    Everything that would have been considered provocative years ago is now possible. Fortress Sweden 2.0 is here, and it is going to be permanent.

  7. If Ukraine will win – such preparations wouldn’t be needed.

    If Ukraine will lose – such preparations would become useless:

    1. Russia will start to use Ukrainian resources not so much on war with West, as to get even more recourses for war with West – by occupying Central Asia, chaotization of the World, and strengthening allies for WW3.
    2. Ukrainian defeat, and therefore defeat of everything that Ukraine did in 1994-2024 years (including faith in the West), will discredit/destruct International Law. Therefore, everything will evolve to “WMD-Might make Right/True” Russian context.
    3. If by these “preparations” West will give Russia time to prepare for WW3 (as 2022-2023 years), then they will become useless against tens of millions of autopilot drones (in first 2 months of 2024 year Ukraine created 200,000 drones).

    If in 1941 years USA by the same logic would have strengthened itself and non-belligerent allies more than fighting allies, then today everyone would speak by German or by Russian language.

    All “European security” money that in 2022-2024 years wasn’t spent on defeat of Russia – de facto was spent on strengthening of Russia, buying for Russia time to adapt.

    ​

    P.S. I wonder, people that downvote this comment in 2021 year also believed that Russia wouldn’t attack Ukraine because this will bring too much economic loss, and, overall, because events like this haven’t happened in a very long time?

    Or in 2015-2020 years also believed that Crimea and Donbas it’s just frozen conflict?

    Or in pre-2014 years that something like 2014 years completely impossible in modern peaceful and enlightened Europe?

    Right now happening prelude to WW3, predominantly because West gave Russia time (2 years) and resources ($424B only from EU+NATO countries) to create such prelude… Completely given away to Russia all initiative.

    People on Reddit: “Noo, WW3 it’s too unusual, too different from modern norms, so impossible. Noo, any initiative against nuclear state to risky. Investment into defense much better! If Poland and Sweden will become well protected from the modern Russian army, then everything will be fine!”

  8. They should have been fortifying Gotland back when Russia first seized Crimea. But better late than never

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