Sweden is sending around five million leaflets to its residents urging them to prepare for the possibility of war, with instructions on how to stockpile food and water amid growing fears of a conflict with Russia.

It comes as neighboring Finland launched a new preparedness website and Norwegians recently received leaflets telling them how to fend for themselves for a week in the event of war and other threats.

Sweden and Finland abandoned decades of military non-alignment to join the US-led military alliance NATO following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

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

The brochure “In Case of Crisis or War”, sent by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), contains information on how to prepare for emergency situations such as war, natural disasters or cyberattacks.

This is an updated version of a pamphlet that Sweden has published five times since World War II. However, underscoring the seriousness of the potential threat, the book is twice as large as in previous years.

Additionally, a message appears in the middle of the booklet: “If Sweden is attacked by another country, we will never give up.” All reports that resistance must end are false.

The “In Case of Crisis or War” booklet contains information on how to prepare for emergencies, including war.

A soldier is pictured during a military exercise with Swedish and foreign military units in May.

The previous version sent in 2018 made headlines because it was the first time it had been sent to the Swedes since 1961, at the height of the Cold War.

“The security situation is serious and we all need to strengthen our resilience to face various crises and, ultimately, war,” MSB Director Mikael Frisell said in a statement.

Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said last month that as the global context had changed, Swedish household advice needed to be revised to reflect the reality of the situation.

The 32-page document describes with simple illustrations the threats facing the Nordic nation, including military conflicts, natural disasters and cyber and terrorist attacks.

It includes preparation tips, like stocking up on non-perishable foods and storing water.

MSB said the updated 2024 version focused more on war preparedness. Over the next two weeks, 5.2 million copies will be sent to Swedish homes.

The brochure is available in print in Swedish and English and digital versions are available in several other languages, including Arabic, Farsi, Ukrainian, Polish, Somali and Finnish.

Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said that as the global context had changed, Swedish household advice needed to be revised to reflect the reality of the situation.

Former Swedish army chief Micael Biden alarmed many of his compatriots in January when he urged them to think about their own preparedness.

“The Swedes must mentally prepare for war,” he said.

Also on Monday, the government of Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia, launched a website compiling information on preparedness for different crises.

Sweden and Finland were previously considered neutral states, but are now preparing for possible conflicts.

Last month, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson warned that Moscow could attack Sweden as it fights for control of the Baltic Sea, with Russian naval fleets docked in St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad.

Soldiers from the P18 Gotland Regiment of the Swedish Army camouflage their armored vehicles during a field exercise near Visby, on the Swedish island of Gotland, May 17, 2022.

“Russia poses a threat to Sweden, as it does to the rest of NATO. We cannot rule out a Russian attack on our country,” Jonson told Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita.

Even though Kremlin forces are “stranded in Ukraine,” he said, Vladimir Putin’s government has shown it is “ready to take serious military and political risks.”

NATO rushed its warplanes from Poland and Romania to the border with Ukraine on Sunday after Russia targeted the country. critical infrastructure with a new wave of missile attacks.

The country’s energy operator, DTEK, announced emergency power cuts affecting the kyiv, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions at around 7am UK time on Sunday morning following overnight drone strikes .

Shortly after, thermal power plants were hit.

Air defenses deployed to intercept drones in kyiv as residents urged to take shelter, while missiles aimed at the stricken west prompted NATO to send fighter jets to help him.

“Due to the massive attack by the Russian Federation using cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles against objects located, inter alia, in western Ukraine, Polish and allied aircraft (NATO) began operating in our airspace,” said a statement from the Polish operational command.

“The serving fighter pairs have been mobilized and the air defense and ground radar reconnaissance systems have reached the highest state of readiness.

“The measures taken aim to ensure security in areas bordering threatened areas.”