Three European countries distribute brochures to citizens about how to survive war

From Monday, millions of Swedes will begin receiving brochures with advice on how to prepare and act in times of war or other unexpected crises.

“In case of crisis or war” is a brochure six years ago, which has already been updated because of what the Swedish government calls a worsening security situation, referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The brochure is now also twice as large, writes BBC.

Neighboring Finland has just published its advice on “preparedness to incidents and crises” online. Norwegians also recently received a brochure explaining how to spend alone for a week in the event of extreme weather, war and other threats.

In a detailed section on the military conflict, the Finnish digital brochure explains how the government and president would react in the event of an armed attack, stressing that Finnish authorities are the “well prepared for self-defense”.

NATO Entry

Sweden and Finland joined the NATO alliance over the past two years, following the Russian occupation. Norway was a founding member of the Western Defence Alliance.

Unlike Sweden and Norway, the government in Helsinki decided not to print a brochure for each family because it would devote millions to” and a digital version could be updated more easily.

“We sent 2.2 million copies of paper, one for every family in Norway,” said Tore Camfyard, who is responsible for the self-preparation campaign at the Norwegian Civil Protection Authority (DSB).

What is said in the brochures?

The brochures also contain a list of foods to be kept at home. The list includes foods that do not break up such as canned beans, energy bars and pasta, as well as medicines, including iodine pills in case of a nuclear accident.

For Swedes, the idea of an emergency card is nothing new. First edition of “If War Comes” was created during World War II and updated during the Cold War.

However, a message has been moved from the middle of the brochure to the front. If Sweden is attacked by another country, we will never surrender. All information that resistance will be completed is false. ”

“can have war”

Swedish Civil Protection Minister Carl-Oscar Boylin said last month that while the global context has changed, information for Swedish families must also reflect changes.

At the beginning of this year, he warned that “could have a war in Sweden”, which was understood as an alarm call because the minister believed progress in building “full protection” was progressing very slowly.

Because of the long border with Russia and the experience of war with the Soviet Union in World War II, Finland has always maintained a high level of protection. However, Sweden has reduced its infrastructure, and only in recent years has it started to prepare again.

“From Finnish perspective, this is a bit strange,” says Ilmari Kaihko, associate professor of war studies at Swedish Defence University. “Finland never forgot that war was possible, while in Sweden people had to be a little shocked to realize that it could actually happen. ”

Melissa Eve Aysmaki, a 24-year-old Finnish-born student who studies in Goteborg, says she became very concerned when the war in Ukraine began. I am now less concerned, but I am still thinking about what to do if war breaks out, especially since my family is in Finland”.

What is said in the brochure?

The brochures contain instructions on what should be done in case of certain scenarios, as well as advice for citizens who will help manage at least temporarily in crisis situations themselves.

The Finnishs wonder how they would cope with their stay without electricity for days with winter temperatures of -20C. Their list of controls also includes iodine tablets, as well as light cooking foods, pet food and reserve power.

The Swedish list of control recommends potatoes, cabbages, carrots and eggs, along with tin cans of bologise sauce and soup prepared in advance with blueberry and rose.

Swedish economist Ingemar Gustafsson recalled how the brochures were prepared earlier. It's best to get information on how to behave and how to prepare, but it's not like I have everything ready at home”

One of the most important recommendations is for citizens to have enough food and drinking water at home for 72 hours. But the question is how practical it is, especially for the larger families living in smaller apartments.