Sweden is stepping up its defense activities in the Baltic Sea region amid “a deteriorating security situation”, AP reported referring to Chief of Joint Operations Vice Adm. Jan Thornqvist.

The Swedish armed forces have launched "high-readiness action" in the southeastern and southern parts of the Baltic Sea due to the "current, extensive military activity" in the region. Sweden is not a NATO member. The goal “is to strengthen maritime surveillance in the Baltic Sea at sea and from the air.”

“Extensive military operations are underway in the Baltic Sea region, both from Russia and the West, in a way that in some parts has not been experienced since the days of the Cold War,” Thornqvist said.

According to the Swedish military's assessment, “the risk of a military attack on Sweden is currently low, but the unpredictable security situation in our immediate area places high demands on our accessibility and preparedness.”

“We follow, we adapt, and we choose methods in our way of meeting the world around us,” Thornqvist said.

“The corona pandemic has also led to increased global concern and uncertainty. Overall, the situation is more unstable, more conflict-ridden and more difficult to predict. The current developments in Belarus remind us of this,” he added.

As Sweden’s external military intelligence service said in March, the security policy situation in the region “has deteriorated over time,” meaning there is “an increased risk of military incidents and confrontation that can, in the worst case, lead to a situation escalating.”