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☆ Gripen fighters built to battle Russian jets are on the table for Ukraine, but only if Sweden gets to join NATO, Stockholm says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sweden is asking its military to explore the prospects of sending Ukraine its Gripen fighter jets. But there won't be any transfer until Stockholm joins NATO, its defense minister said. Citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and neighboring Finland first announced their intentions to join NATO over a year ago, breaking away from decades of neutrality. The Gripen was designed to take on Russian fighter jets and features electronic-warfare capabilities built to counter the radars in Moscow's aircraft and ground-based air-defense systems. Even if Sweden decides to send Gripens to Ukraine, it would be many months before they actually reach the battlefield.

Persons: —, Pål Jonson, — Gen, Micael, Jonson, JAS, Saab JAS, PATRICK TRAGARDH, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sukhois, Gripens Organizations: Gripen, NATO, Service, Swedish Armed Forces, Swedish Defense, Sweden, Saab, Getty, Kyiv, Swedish Air Force, Ukrainian Air Force, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Sweden, Ukraine, Russia, Stockholm, Swedish, Finland, Turkey, Hungary, Lulea, AFP, Kyiv, Russian

KYIV/STOCKHOLM, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Sweden on Saturday to meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the royal family and other officials as Kyiv's counteroffensive against Russian forces grinds into its third month. The visit will start at Harpsund, the country retreat of Swedish prime ministers, about 120 kilometres from Sweden's capital Stockholm. As Zelenskiy reached Sweden, he said people had been killed and wounded in a Russian missile strike on the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv. Zelenskiy said he would thank Sweden for supporting Ukraine since the Russian invasion. Zelenskiy and Prime Minister Kristersson will hold a joint press conference at Harpsund in the afternoon.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ulf Kristersson, grinds, Zelenskiy, Pal Jonson, Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Olena Zelenska, Kristersson, Dan Peleschuk, Supantha Mukherjee, Simon Johnson, Frances Kerry, Toby Chopra, David Holmes Organizations: Russian, Swedish, Harpsund, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Harpsund, Swedish, Sweden's, Stockholm, Zelenskiy, Russian, Ukrainian, Chernihiv, Ukraine, Stenhammar

[1/2] A police officer on a Segway patrols Sweden's parliament Riksdagen as the terror threat level in Sweden is raised to four on a five-point scale, in Stockholm, Sweden, August 17, 2023. There has been widespread condemnation from many parts of the Muslim world, with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urging severe punishment for those responsible and saying Sweden was in battle mode against the Muslim world. "Sweden has gone from being considered a legitimate target for terrorist attacks to being considered a prioritised target," SAPO head Charlotte von Essen told a news conference. MILITARY ALERTThe Swedish armed forces also said they were raising the terrorism threat level for operations. Britain and the United States have warned nationals against going to Sweden due to possible terrorist attacks amid protests there and in neighbouring Denmark over the Koran burnings.

Persons: Riksdagen, Fredrik Sandberg, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Charlotte von Essen, von Essen, Simon Johnson, Johan Ahlander Terje Solsvik, Louise Rasmussen, Niklas Pollard, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: TT, Agency, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Iranian, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Sweden, Stockholm, Rights STOCKHOLM, Denmark, Swedish, Britain, United States, Uzbek

☆ NATO may base troops in Sweden before Stockholm joins, government says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM, June 9 (Reuters) - Sweden will allow NATO to base troops on its territory even before it formally joins the defence alliance, the prime minister and defence minister said on Friday. Sweden applied last year to join NATO as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Objections from Turkey and Hungary have delayed the bid and Sweden now hopes to join by a NATO summit in Lithuania next month. "The government has decided that the Swedish Armed Forces may undertake preparations with NATO and NATO countries to enable future joint operations," Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Defence Minister Pal Jonson said. "The preparations may consist of temporary basing of foreign equipment and personnel on Swedish territory.

Persons: Ulf Kristersson, Pal Jonson, Vladimir Putin's, Anna Ringstrom, Angus MacSwan Organizations: NATO, Swedish Armed Forces, Dagens Nyheter, Nordic, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Ukraine, Turkey, Hungary, Lithuania, Russia, Finland

☆ Russian spy ships suspected of gathering intelligence in Nordic waters, investigation finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou Allegra Goodwin Anna Chernova Vasco Cotovio | Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou | Allegra Goodwin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Russia has a fleet of suspected spy ships operating in Nordic waters as part of a program for the potential sabotage of underwater cables and wind farms in the region, according to a joint investigation by the public broadcasters of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. The investigation also said Russian ships appear suddenly following NATO exercises. One ship at the center of the investigation, the Admiral Vladimirsky, is officially used for underwater research expeditions, but is, according to the report, a Russian spy ship. A masked man emerged on the deck of the Admiral Vladimirsky, the ship at the center of an investigation that found a Russian fleet of suspected spy ships in Nordic waters. The investigation comes after Dutch intelligence officials warned Russia had tried to gain intelligence to prepare for the potential sabotage of critical infrastructure in their patch of the North sea.

☆ Sweden to further investigate Nord Stream pipeline damage
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Sweden has ordered additional investigations to be carried out of the damage done last month to the two Nord Stream pipelines, the prosecutor in charge of the case said in a statement on Friday. Sweden and Denmark have both concluded that four leaks on Nord Stream 1 and 2 were caused by explosions, but have not said who might be responsible. "The Armed Forces have upon request decided to assist in the investigation," he added. The prosecutor said the armed forces had the resources and expertise to investigate the crime scene "in the way we wish" but declined further comment. Sweden's armed forces said this week that they were carrying out an independent investigation of the seabed around the leaks with minesweepers.

☆ Swedish military back at Nord Stream leak site for new investigation
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Nord Stream AG FollowCOPENHAGEN, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Sweden's Armed Forces said on Wednesday they were back at the site of the Russian Nord Stream gas pipeline leaks in the southern part of the Baltic Sea to further investigate the suspected blasts. World leaders have called the damage to the pipes, discovered last month in Danish and Swedish economic zones, an act of sabotage, without saying who could be responsible. Swedish prosecutors and police earlier this month wrapped up a crime scene investigation with the help of the Navy and Coast Guard. "The Swedish Armed Forces are this week carrying out complementary seabed surveys at the gas leaks with minesweepers," the armed forces said on Twitter on Wednesday. "The investigation is done at our own initiative and is not part of the police investigation."

☆ Gazprom: NATO mine destroyer was found at Nord Stream 1 in 2015
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Gazprom is displayed on a screen during the Saint Petersburg international gas forum in Saint Petersburg, Russia September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File PhotoMOSCOW, Oct 10 (Reuters) - A spokesperson for Russian energy giant Gazprom (GAZP.MM) said on Monday that a mine destroyer discovered at the Nord Stream 1 offshore gas pipeline in 2015 belonged to NATO. Nord Stream reported on that date in 2015 that a "munitions object" had been cleared by the Swedish armed forces, without giving more detail on the object. Gazprom owns 51% in Swiss-based Nord Stream AG, operator of Nord Stream 1. An international investigation is underway into a rupture, discovered late last month, in the Russian-built Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines on the bed of the Baltic Sea.

Gas leak at Nord Stream 2 as seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm, Denmark September 27, 2022. The operator of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline reported a sudden drop in pressure overnight on Monday, with a spokesperson suggesting there could have been a leak. A few hours later, Nord Stream AG, operator of another undersea gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, said it was looking into a drop in pressure in Nord Stream 1. read moreSweden's Maritime Authority said on Tuesday it had warned of two leaks on Nord Stream 1 in Swedish and Danish waters. Analysts and experts say such leaks are very rare and Nord Stream AG has called leaks on three strings of the offshore gas pipelines "unprecedented". Gas leaking from the damaged Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea will continue for several days and perhaps even a week, the Danish Energy Authority said.

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