If Crisis or War Comes: Sweden updates its Cold War-era warning booklet to include nuclear threats
The booklet explains what to do in case of a nuclear attack
![The Russian nuclear submarine Dmitry Donskoy moored near Kronstadt](https://static.the-independent.com/2022/09/28/19/Russia_Ukraine_War_Nuclear_Threats_Explainer_50667.jpg)
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Your support makes all the difference.Sweden will issue an updated version of its Cold War-era civil emergency advice booklet, updated to reflect conflict with Russia.
The Scandinavian country said it will issue another update later this month, with the new version āadapted to better reflect todayās security policy realityā such as what to do in case of nuclear attacks.
The booklet, āIf Crisis or War Comes,ā includes lessons learned from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, officials said on Tuesday.
āIt is no secret that the security situation has deteriorated since the previous brochure was issued in 2018,ā Swedish Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin told a press conference.
He said that the military threat against Sweden has increased and an armed attack cannot be excluded. "The threat picture is more complex than earlier and includes cyberattacks, influence attacks and risk of sabotage,ā Bohlin said.
The updated version should be mailed between Nov. 18 and Nov. 29 and more than 5 million copies will be send out āto strengthen household preparations for crises and war.ā The booklet also is available digitally.
![A view of the city with Stockholm City Hall, center, in Stockholm, Swede](https://static.the-independent.com/2024/10/08/13/Sweden-Booklet-Preparedness_13214.jpg)
Besides giving practical advice on cyber- and terror attacks, pandemic and environmental threats, along with conventional warfare, the 31-page booklet also carries items on self-defense, psychological defense, digital security and protection against air raids. It was ādesigned to give households the knowledge they need to be able to act quickly in a crisis situation,ā Bohlin said.
Among the new entries was one on how to stop a bleeding wound.
The booklet briefly said that āin the event of an attack with nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, take cover in the same way as with an airstrike. Shelters provide the best protection. After a couple days, the radiation has decreased sharply.ā
The booklet referred to the fact that Sweden in March formally joined NATO as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality and centuries of broader non-alignment.
The first edition of the āIf War Comesā booklet was published during World War II.
The news comes as the head of MI5 warned that British intelligence is facing a āhell of a jobā over rising threats from Iran and Russia, as well as the resurgence of Isis and Al-Qaeda.