SWEDEN
The armed forces cannot afford to replace what was given to Ukraine
Published 19 February 2024 at 11.09
DOMESTIC. Sweden's war aid to Ukraine appears to cost more than estimated. Sharp price increases in the defense industry have resulted in the additional funds previously allocated to defense not being sufficient to replace the military equipment that has been given away.

- Suppose you have to feed a family. Then you want to be able to put four portions on the table. Now we have given away one of the four, says army chief Jonny Lindfors to SVT Nyheter.

Sweden has donated equipment for half a brigade to Ukraine - from the two brigades we had.

The army, which has contributed a significant amount of equipment, is now suffering from shortages of both materiel and personnel, as many personnel are committed to training missions for Ukrainian forces.

- We are going hard. We are happy to do that for the sake of it, but of course it has an impact, says army commander Jonny Lindfors.

The government has stated that equipment donated must be quickly replaced with new ones. But when that can actually happen is unclear.

In addition to the long waiting times in the defense industry, prices have increased significantly. In some cases, this is a doubling or more, according to information from the Army Staff.

At the moment, there is simply no money to replace the donated equipment.

- The financial compensation awarded to the Armed Forces is not enough to replace wagon for wagon, says Jonny Lindfors to SVT.

The ability to defend Sweden is thus reduced, he states.

- It is a risk that we - in dialogue with politicians - judge that we can take, during a time when Russia is tied up in Ukraine. But it is an ability that must be recreated as soon as possible.