Sweden and Finland, the newest members of NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, released updated civil preparedness guidelines on Monday, offering instructions on how to survive in wartime.
The guides are similar to those issued in Denmark and Norway, although none explicitly mention Russia by name.
Sweden’s updated guide includes instructions on how to respond to an attack using nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons.
“It’s no secret that the security situation has deteriorated since the last brochure was issued in 2018,” said Minister for Civil Defence of Sweden Carl-Oskar Bohlin at a press conference last month.
Sweden’s Baltic Sea island of Gotland is located just over 300 kilometers from Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.
In Finland, which shares a 1.340-kilometer land border with Russia, the government compiled the guide, emphasizing that “preparedness is a civic skill in the current global situation.” All Nordic countries advise their citizens to stockpile drinking water, canned food, medicine, heating supplies, toilet paper, money, flashlights, and candles, as well as to keep their vehicles fully fueled whenever possible.
The checklist also includes iodine tablets in case of a nuclear event.
