Nordic neighbors are issuing new advice on surviving the war

On Monday, millions of Swedes will start receiving copies of a booklet that informs people how to prepare and how to cope in the event of war or other unexpected problems.

“In the event of disaster or war” has been revised since six years ago due to what the government in Stockholm called the worst security situation, which means that Russia is attacking Ukraine in full. The booklet is also double the size.

Neighboring Finland has also recently published its new advice online for “incident and disaster preparedness”.

And Norwegians also recently received a leaflet urging them to prepare to fend for themselves for a week in case of bad weather, war and other threats.

In a detailed section on military conflict, the Finnish digital brochure explains how the government and president will respond in the event of an armed attack, stressing that the Finnish authorities are “well prepared to defend themselves”.

Sweden joined Nato only this year, deciding like Finland to apply after Moscow extended its military presence in 2022. Norway was a founding member of the Western defense alliance.

Unlike Sweden and Norway, the government of Helsinki decided not to print a copy of every house as it would “cost millions” and the digital version could be easily updated.

“We sent 2.2 million paper copies, one for each household in Norway,” said Tore Kamfjord, who is in charge of the preparedness campaign at the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB).

On the list of things to keep at home are non-perishable foods such as cans of beans, energy bars and pasta, and medicines including iodine tablets in case of a nuclear accident.

Oslo submitted a previous version in 2018, but Kamfjord said climate change and extreme weather events such as floods and landslides brought more risks.

For the Swedes, the concept of an emergency notebook is nothing new. The first edition of “When War Comes” was produced during World War II and revised during the Cold War.

But there is one message that has been removed from the middle of the booklet: “If Sweden is attacked by another country, we will not give up.” All information that the resistance will end is false. “

It wasn't long ago that Finland and Sweden were neutral countries, although their infrastructure and “total defense system” dates back to the Cold War.

Sweden's Minister of Social Security, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, said last month that since the world has changed, information on Swedish families should also reflect the changes.

Earlier this year he warned that “there could be war in Sweden”, although that was seen as a wake-up call because he felt that steps to rebuild that “total defence” were proceeding too slowly.

Due to its long border with Russia and its war experience with the Soviet Union in the Second World War, Finland has always maintained a high level of defense. Sweden, however, has reduced its infrastructure and in recent years has begun to prepare again.

“From the Finnish point of view, this is strange,” according to Ilmari Kaihko, an associate professor of military studies at the Swedish Defense University. “[Finland] I didn't forget that war is possible, while in Sweden, people had to move a little to understand that this is really possible,” said Kaihko, who is from Finland.

Melissa Eve Ajosmaki, 24, originally from Finland but studying in Gothenburg, says she was very worried when the war broke out in Ukraine. “Now I'm not so worried but I still have an idea of ​​what I should do if there is a war. Especially since I have my family back in Finland.”

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The guidelines include instructions on what to do in the event of a number of situations and ask residents to make sure they can fend for themselves, at least initially, in an emergency.

Finns are being asked how they can cope without power for days on end with winter temperatures reaching -20C.

Their checklist also includes iodine tablets, as well as easy-to-cook meals, pet food and a backup power source.

The Swedish checklist recommends potatoes, cabbage, carrots and eggs as well as cans of bolognese sauce and prepared blueberry and rosehip soup.

Swedish economist Ingemar Gustafsson, 67, recalls receiving earlier versions of the pamphlet: “I'm not that worried about the whole thing so I'm taking it in stride.” It's good that we get information on how we should do it and how we should prepare ourselves, but it's not like I have all those preparations at home”.

One of the most important recommendations is to keep enough food and drinking water for 72 hours.

But Ilmari Kaihko wonders if that applies to everyone.

“Where do you hide it when you have a big family living in a small house?”