Sweden holds first evacuation drills since 1960s on island near Russia
Swedish police (photo: Getty Images)
Large-scale civilian evacuation drills are underway on Sweden's Gotland island in the Baltic Sea. These are the first exercises of their kind in the region since the 1960s, Le Monde reports.
Hundreds of specialists and civilians are taking part in the drills, which run from October 5 to 8. Regional authorities, police, armed forces, transport officials, and other organizations are involved.
The main objective is to test coordination between services, the speed of decision-making, and the logistics of transporting people to safe locations.
Around 200 volunteers took part in the practical phase on October 7. To test emergency services' readiness for complex scenarios, some participants played the roles of people with dementia and those requiring additional support.
Participants are being moved only between different locations on the island, with no evacuations to mainland Sweden taking place as part of the exercise.
Strategic importance of the island
Local authorities emphasize that the drills do not indicate an increased immediate risk of a crisis. The main goal is to test plans in advance and prepare services to protect civilians in the event of a major emergency.
Gotland holds key strategic importance in the central Baltic Sea, as it lies less than 350 kilometers from the coast of Russia's Kaliningrad region. Control over the island provides significant opportunities to influence maritime and air routes across the region.
Amid Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Sweden has significantly strengthened Gotland's defenses and is restoring its civilian preparedness system in case of war.
Recently, Russia's Foreign Ministry accused NATO of conducting military activities and exercises near Russian borders.
Russian officials also raised the possibility of an air or naval blockade of the Kaliningrad region and threatened that Moscow was ready to use its entire arsenal, including nuclear weapons.
