Sweden to send anti-tank weapons to Ukraine in break with doctrine

Sweden on Sunday announced it would break its tradition of not sending arms to countries in active conflict and send military equipment, including anti-tank launchers, to Ukraine.

“My conclusion is now that our security is best served by us supporting Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia,” Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told reporters.

Andersson said 5,000 anti-tank weapons of the model “Pansarskott 86”, a single-use anti-tank launcher known internationally as Bofors AT-4, would be sent to Ukraine.

The decision to send arms, 135,000 field rations, 5,000 helmets and 5,000 pieces of body armour is the first time Sweden has sent weapons to a country in armed conflict since the Soviet Union attacked Finland in 1939, Andersson added.

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Swedish vocabulary: portable – bärbart

Ericsson’s Iraq bribery scandal might be a crime under international law 

International human rights lawyers have told SVT’s Uppdrag Granskning investigative programme that bribes paid to the terror group IS by the Swedish telecoms firm Ericsson might be a crime under international law. 

The telecoms firm recently released the results of an internal investigation which found that the group may have bribed IS in order to transport equipment through its territory. 

“My judgement is that any prosecutor who had this report in his hand could not make any other decision than to launch a criminal investigation into “accessory to crimes against humanity”, the lawyer Sten de Geer told SVT.

Swedish vocabulary: a bribe – en muta

Sweden’s foreign ministry advises against unnecessary journeys to Russia. 

Sweden’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a warning advising Swedish residents and citizens against making unnecessary journeys to Russia, citing, “the serious and unpredictable security situation in the surrounding region, uncertainty on transport alternatives out of Russia and in the payment system in the country”. 

The foreign ministry had previously only advised against travel to the regions of Belgorod, Voronezj, and Rostov, close to the border with Ukraine. 

Swedish vocabulary: non-essential – icke nödvändiga 

Russian and Belarusian skiers banned from Sweden’s Vasaloppet cross-country race 

Sweden’s Vasaloppet ski race has banned all Russian and Belarusian participants from this Sunday’s race, and from all its other events, in protest at the invasion of Ukraine. 

”Together with other cross-country ski events, we have taken a common decision to not allow Russian participants in Vasaloppets winter week, and the remaining five competitions that are part of the international cross-country ski cup Visma Ski Classics,” said Johan Eriksson, the company’s chief executive, in a press release. 

This means Russian participants will be banned from Vasaloppet, Årefjällsloppet, the Birkebeinerrennet and Reistadsløpet in Norway and the Ylläs-Levi in Finland.

Swedish vocabulary: participants – deltagarna