Stockholm is building defense capabilities in the Baltic Sea amid growing tensions with Russia.
The Swedish government has allocated up to 1.6 billion Swedish krona ($ 163 million) to strengthen military infrastructure on the strategic island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. The decision comes amid rising tensions in neighboring Russia, Reuters reported on April 29.
The funds will be used to expand the barracks and other infrastructure on Gotland.
“The goal is to accommodate many more conscripts and make operations more efficient, thus helping to increase capacity,” Sweden’s minister of financial markets Max Elger told reporters.
It has been noticed that Stockholm has been rebuilding its armed forces over the past decade, especially after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has become more urgent in Sweden’s rearmament program and has sparked debate over whether it and Finland should join NATO.
In 2018, Sweden re-established the army’s Gotland Regiment, which had been disbanded over the past decade, and strengthened the island’s defenses using surface-to-air missiles and other measures.
Gotland, Sweden’s largest island, is located about 330 km north of Kaliningrad, the headquarters of the Russian Baltic Fleet.
Earlier, NATO Secretary -General Jens Stoltenberg said Finland and Sweden would be welcomed into the alliance “with open arms.”
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Source: korrespondent
