Swedish gp.se published an article in which the author calls for the closure of the Russian consulate in Gothenburg.
“This is an abomination and reminds us of continuous crimes against humanity,” writes Anders Wedin.
“The war has been going on for the second year, and Europe will not be the same for a long time. Russia wants to destroy Ukraine and is slowly destroying the population of Ukraine by attacking residential buildings, health facilities, schools, and infrastructure. Let’s look at the real intention of this Russia.”
“Sweden should declare Russia an enemy state. We are seeing more and more evidence of espionage and influence peddling. It is time to reduce diplomatic contacts to minimal embassies in the capitals. Close the representative office”.
“The Consulate General of Russia in Gothenburg occupies an entire block surrounded by a fence monitored by cameras. Typical for an unfriendly state. It is located on St. Siegfried’s Square, where three Ukrainian flags are also flying appropriately.”
“Legitimate consular duties are not the cause of this large facility, which I believe is aimed at enemy espionage. It is disgusting and reminds us of the ongoing crimes against humanity. This is not justified in the conditions of tightening restrictions and reduction of trade. It is necessary to close the general representation of Russia in Gothenburg and the consulate of Sweden in Russia.”
“Why isn’t the new government taking a clearer line against this aggressor country?” – The author ends his thoughts with a question.
What preceded this:
in April, the Russian missions were closed in Latvia and Estonia and their employees were expelled;
in August, the USA demanded to close the Russian representative office in San Francisco;
in October, the mayor of the Finnish city of Turku proposed to close the Russian diplomatic office;
In December, activists in the Czech Republic proposed to disconnect the Russian embassy from light and heat in response to Russian missile strikes on civilian objects in Ukraine.
Given the Kremlin’s aggressive rhetoric and reluctance to end the war, the trend of expelling Russian diplomats and closing diplomatic institutions will continue. Experts agree that the free stay of Russian officials with diplomatic immunity in Europe and other democratic states carries a direct threat of espionage and the recruitment of agents for informational and subversive destabilization of such countries.
The Russian Federation intensified its propaganda in Sweden to undermine the Scandinavian countries’ accession to NATO
Moreover, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson warned his countrymen not to fall prey to Kremlin propaganda after Russian media spread fake news that his country planned to allow NATO to deploy nuclear weapons on its territory in peacetime.
Kristersson told the annual national defense conference Folk that the deployment of nuclear weapons on Swedish territory in peacetime was not discussed.
However, several Russian media wrongly reported that he said otherwise, implying that Stockholm would allow nuclear weapons in peacetime.
Sweden’s leftists have historically opposed joining NATO. However, when the war in Ukraine made joining the Alliance popular, the Swedish Social Democrats reversed course, alienating many of their supporters and sowing deep divisions among the left.
It is therefore likely that Russia is seeking to undermine support for the two Nordic countries joining NATO at a time when Turkey and Hungary are still holding back on ratifying their membership bids.
