Russia brandes SWEDEN as "Nazis" when they join NATO after the Kremlin claimed that Hitler "had Jewish blood"
europe-cities.com

...Russia has intensified its propaganda war against Sweden by producing bus stop ads accusing the peaceful Scandinavian nation of being Nazis.

The hybrid warfare strategy comes as Sweden prepares for NATO membership, abandoning decades of neutrality in light of Moscow's military aggression against Ukraine.

The provocation is hot on the heels of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's inflammatory comments that "Hitler had Jewish blood," which called for an apology from Israel.

The campaign has seen ads appear in Russia depicting various Swedish national heroes as Nazis with the slogan: "We are against Nazism, they are not."

The word "we" is in the color of the Russian flag and "they" in the colors of the Swedish flag. Selective quotes appear next to each image that pretends to paint the figure as a Nazi.

Astrid Lindgren, the creator of one of Sweden's test stone cultural products in Pippi Longstocking, is singled out for her alleged Nazi attitudes, as well as Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad and filmmaker Ingmar Bergman.

Another poster paints Sweden's King Gustaf V as a Nazi.

Russia has intensified its propaganda war against Sweden by producing bus stop advertising that accuses famous Swedish national heroes of being Nazis....

It would be a hilarious sign of desperation on the part of Pres Putin if it were not such a serious matter.

EXPLAINER: Why Finland, Sweden joining NATO will be big deal
apnews.com

...It's likely to be the quickest NATO enlargement ever and one that would redraw Europe's security map. Finnish leaders announced Thursday their belief that Finland should join the world's biggest military organization because of Russia's war in Ukraine. Sweden could soon follow suit.

Should they apply for membership, the move would have far-reaching ramifications for Northern Europe and trans-Atlantic security.

No doubt, it will also anger their large neighbor Russia, which blames, at least in part, its war in Ukraine on NATO's continued expansion closer to its borders. It's unclear how Russian President Vladimir Putin might retaliate. The Kremlin said Thursday that it certainly won't improve European security.

The following is a brief look at what Finland and Sweden's membership in the 30-country NATO alliance could mean, with the Nordic partners expected to announce their intention to join within days....

Support in Finland for NATO membership has hovered around 20-30% for years. It now stands at over 70%. ...

Finland and Sweden are NATO's closest partners. They contribute to the alliance's operations and air policing.

Most importantly, they already meet NATO's membership criteria, on functioning democracies, good neighborly relations, clear borders and armed forces that are in lock-step with the allies. After the invasion, they formally boosted information exchanges with NATO and sit in on every meeting on war issues. ...

Sweden: NATO membership reduces conflict risk -- policy review
www.dw.com

...An all-party review of Swedish security policy concluded that NATO membership would have a stabilizing effect and would benefit countries around the Baltic sea, Foreign Minister Ann Linde said on Friday.

"Swedish NATO membership would raise the threshold for military conflicts and thus have a conflict-preventing effect in northern Europe," Linde told reporters when presenting a parliament report on security.

The report does not contain any proposals but Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist warned, "If Sweden chooses to seek NATO membership, there is a risk of a reaction from Russia," Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist said. "Let me state that, in such a case, we are prepared to deal with any counter-response."

Sweden's parliament was exepcted to debate the security situation on Monday.

Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson was then expected to call a special cabinet meeting where the formal decision to apply would be taken.

If the Nordic country formally joins NATO, it will end over 200 years of Swedish non-alignment....

Biden Encourages Sweden, Finland on NATO in Call
www.bloomberg.com

...President Joe Biden told the leaders of Sweden and Finland that he supports their right to decide whether to join NATO and underscored his backing for the alliance's open door policy, according to the White House.

Sweden has received no indication that Turkey would oppose it joining NATO, and will raise the issue at a meeting this weekend in Berlin, Foreign Minister Ann Linde said. Earlier Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed concern about Sweden and Finland potentially becoming members of the military alliance. NATO foreign ministers are set to meet on Saturday, when the issue of enlargement is likely to dominate.

The US and Russian defense chiefs had their first call since the invasion of Ukraine began. A US defense official said the call lasted about an hour and the tone was professional....

Good, the US and RU defense chiefs are finally talking. That's a change.

Possibly because of...

Putin losing confidence in Ukraine war, former Russian PM says
www.dw.com

...Mikhail Kasyanov, who served as prime minister under Vladimir Putin in the early 2000s, told DW he believed that the Russian president had "already started to realize that he's losing this war."...