(PresidentialWire.com)- As Sweden prepares to join NATO, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson warned she anticipates cyber reprisal from Russia.
During a press conference in Stockholm on Sunday, Andersson was replying to a question from a media outlet. Any type of revenge is possible, and that’s up to Russia and President Vladimir Putin. There might be cyberattacks, hybrid attacks, and other methods, she continued.
Andersson believes the decision to join NATO is best for Sweden’s security. It’s not meant as an offense to Russia, she claimed. According to media reports, Swedish citizens now support joining NATO, contrary to the disinterest before Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
Sweden formally declared its decision to apply for NATO membership on Monday. The administration and parliamentary parties collaborated on a security analysis study according to the Nordic country.
International reporting revealed last week that Finland also rushed to ask for NATO membership. Andersson stated that Sweden’s entry process should be coordinated with Finland, which shares an 830-mile border with Russia.
Russia has threatened to take retaliatory measures if the two countries join the thirty-nation military alliance, which it perceives as a direct threat. It is too early to say how Russia will use its cyber capabilities against Finland, Sweden, or other NATO members. According to reports, experts predict that as a form of protest, Russia will likely launch small-scale and unsophisticated cyberattacks, such as website defacement and distributed denial-of-service attacks.
Finnish Legislators have also warned that Vladimir Putin might shut off gas to the country, according to Finnish media. In reaction to Western sanctions, the Kremlin used similar measures in Poland and Bulgaria last month.
The challenge now is persuading each of NATO’s thirty members to accept Finland and Sweden’s membership in the alliance. That will be difficult, given Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s relationship with Vladimir Putin and his stance against NATO’s expansion.
