Sweden on Monday began sending some five million leaflets to its residents urging them to prepare for the possibility of war, while neighboring Finland launched a new preparedness website.

In January, Sweden’s former military commander-in-chief, General Micael Bydén, said openly: Swedes should mentally prepare for the possibility of war. In March, Sweden officially joined NATO as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, almost a year after Finland.

The updated Swedish guide explains how to respond to an attack with nuclear, chemical or biological weapons: “Take cover in the same way as during an airstrike. Shelters offer the best protection. After a few days, the radiation decreased significantly.

“It is no secret that the security situation has deteriorated since the publication of the previous brochure in 2018,” Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said at a press conference last month . The Swedish island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea is just over 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

Since the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine, Stockholm has repeatedly urged Swedes to prepare mentally and logistically for the possibility of war, citing the serious security situation in its region.

In Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometer land border with Russia, the guide is developed by the government, which has emphasized that “preparedness is a civic skill in the current global situation.”

The Nordic countries are urging all citizens to stockpile drinking water, canned food, medicine, heating, toilet paper, money, flashlights and candles. And if possible, keep the car fully fueled.

The checklist also includes iodine tablets, in case of a nuclear event.

With the contribution of agencies.