The advice booklet was first published in World War II, before being reissued in 2018 reflecting Stockholm’s prior concerns of a worsened security situation in the Baltic Sea region.
Sweden will issue an update of a Cold War-era emergency advice booklet to reflect “today’s security policy reality” as Russia’s war in Ukraine nears its third year.
The booklet will include lessons from Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and advice on what to do in case of nuclear attacks, Swedish Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said during a press conference earlier this week.
“It is no secret that the security situation has deteriorated since the previous brochure was issued in 2018,” Bohlin said.
Bohlin added that the military threat against Sweden had increased since 2018, adding to a complex web of potential attacks that included cyberattacks, influence attacks, and sabotage.
The booklet notes Sweden’s formal entrance into NATO in March of this year, which ended the country’s decades of post-World War II neutrality and centuries of broader non-alignment.
The 31-page booklet gives practical advice on cyber and terror attacks, pandemic, environmental threats and conventional warfare. It also outlines advice on self-defence, psychological defence, digital security and what to do during an air raid.
One new entry outlined how to stop a bleeding wound, with an excerpt on potential nuclear attacks reading, “In the event of an attack with nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, take cover in the same way as with an airstrike. Shelters provide the best protection. After a couple days, the radiation has decreased sharply.”
The booklet was first issued during World War II and reissued in 2018 to reflect Stockholm’s concerns about a worsened security situation in the Baltic Sea region.
The first edition bore the title “If War Comes”, with the updated version titled “If Crisis or War Comes.”
It was ultimately designed to give households “the knowledge they need to be able to act quickly in a crisis situation,” Bohlin said.
Over 5 million copies of the brochure’s updated version will be mailed out to households between 18 November and 29 November, with the advice also available digitally.
