Sweden recognizes Russia as the main threat to the country's security

Russia is the main threat to Sweden's security. This was stated by the Swedish Security Service, Reuters reported.

"We all have to learn to live with a serious security situation," Charlotte von Essen, head of the security service, told a news conference presenting an annual report on the threats facing the country, which abandoned centuries of neutrality and applied to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine.

"First of all, Russia, but also China and Iran, continue to pose the greatest threat to Sweden, and they are working, and to some extent also working together, to change the current security system," she said.

Last August, the agency raised the terror threat level to 4 on a 5-point scale after several incidents of Koran burning in Sweden and neighboring countries, which angered Muslims and provoked jihadist threats.

In a statement accompanying the report, the Security Service said threats from far-right and Islamist groups could be fomented or used by Sweden's enemies abroad. "Foreign states may use violent extremists and other types of organizations and individuals as proxies for security-threatening activities," the statement said.

Fredrik Hallstrom, head of operations at the Security Service, told a news conference that as more Russian spies have been expelled from the West, Moscow is changing its tactics and "using more opportunistic methods."

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 22/02/2024