Sweden says Russia is the biggest threat to its security

Russia is the biggest threat to Sweden because of its aggressive attitude towards the West, SAPO’s Scandinavian security nation said.

He wrote in his annual report that while Sweden joins NATO’s military alliance strengthened its security, it also led to increased Russian intelligence.

Sapo also said that the security situation in Sweden is serious and can get worse -with foreign forces working in more frightening ways and resorting to a hybrid war, along with incidents with violent extremism.

Charlotte von Essen, the head of the sapo, said there was “a” tangible risk that the security situation could get worse “in a way that could be difficult to predict.

Sweden became a NATO member last year, considering it as the best guarantee against Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

This January, her Civil Protection Minister warn “in Sweden there may be war” In the near future due to Russian aggression.

Sapo said on Tuesday that Russia’s intelligence activities are mainly aimed at undermining NATO members, counteracting Western support for Ukraine and bypassing sanctions.

It states that these activities show that Russia is becoming “more observant and susceptible to risk” to the accumulation of Swedish and broader European defenses.

“When collecting intelligence, Russian security and intelligence services use a wide range of resources and various platforms,” ​​the agency wrote, adding that they were restricted by the expulsion of scouts.

Mrs. von Essen said the Swedes should be vigilant about “widespread anti-state stories and conspiracy theories” that seek to act as a destabilizing force, adding that it is “important not to normalize the new situation.”

In his report, the SAPO mentioned suspicious incidents involving infrastructure and which countries may have been behind “in some cases.”

A series of underwater cables and gas pipelines have been damaged in alleged attacks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which prompts NATO to start a monitoring mission in the sea.

The last such violation was reported last month near Gotland, the largest island in Sweden.

The Swedish government also described Iran and China as reflecting significant threats to the Scandinavian country’s security.

Last year, SAPO Accused of Iranian Hacking Inno Service in Text Message Service To send 15,000 messages to Swedes, after a few burns on the Qur’an.

The SAPO report of 2025 says that threats from foreign intelligence include cyber-attacks, technology theft and tracking the movement of foreign dissidents living in Sweden.

He also said that the threat of terrorism remained high, but was diversifying not only to include “ideologically motivated participants”, but also violence caused by foreign power and young people with a charm of violence who are radicalized online.

Da -von Essen said that the sapo saw examples of nations, including Russia and Iran, causing people, often young people, to commit acts of violence.

There have been serious attacks in France, Germany and Austria, said the head of the sap.

Sweden herself was dealing with the consequences of the “terrible Orebro incident,” she noted, citing Sweden’s youngest mass shooting last month, in which a weapon attacked an educational center in Central Sweden, killing nine people.

Sapo said that violent Islamist extremism and violent right terrorism remain prominent threats.

Sweden remains alert for terrorism – with the level of threat estimated on four of the five -man scale.