Sweden - World War III.2
Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Sweden has provided military, humanitarian and civil support to support Ukraine. Since February 2022, Sweden contributed approximately SEK 37 billion (approx. EUR 3.2 billion*) to various initiatives that support Ukraine (20 February 2024). Together with the EU, Sweden has also adopted macroeconomic support and several sanctions packages against Russia.
Sweden has long provided development assistance to Ukraine comprising both reform-oriented development cooperation and humanitarian support. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden has provided Ukraine with approximately SEK 7.1 billion in humanitarian support, support for reforms and rebuilding, civil protection initiatives, etc.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU has imposed a series of sanctions packages against Russia. The sanctions target the financial, energy and transport sectors, dual-use exports and visas. Sanctions have also been imposed on individuals and entities.
The Swedish government intends to ensure long-term support from Sweden to Ukraine through three-year military support totaling SEK 75 billion. Following an earlier decision to freeze Russian central bank assets in the EU, the EU has decided to use the net income generated by the frozen assets to provide military and macroeconomic support to Ukraine.
There has been a significant change in the level and content of the support provided by Sweden: from personal protective equipment in the first decision to tanks, advanced weapons systems and ammunition in later packages. With support package 16 presented by the Government on May 29, 2024, the total value of Sweden’s military support to Ukraine amounts to approximately SEK 43.5 billion (May 29, 2024). To further enhance Sweden’s support to Ukraine and provide long-term stability, Sweden enables a three-year framework for military support to Ukraine totalling SEK 75 billion for 2024–2026, which equates to SEK 25 billion a year.
On 29 May 2024, the Government presented its 16th and largest military support package to Ukraine to date since Russia’s full-scale invasion began. Sweden will provide Ukraine with a completely new capability to strengthen its collective air defence. The package, which will be part of an upcoming additional amending budget, amounts to SEK 13.3 billion and will meet Ukraine’s prioritised needs.
The larger share of Sweden’s military support to Ukraine consists of arms and equipment. Support in the form of arms and equipment includes Airborne Surveillance and Control aircraft (ASC 890), Armoured tracked personnel carriers (PBV 302), Combat Boat 90, Group Boats (G-boats), artillery pieces (Archer), main battle tanks (Leopard 2), grenade launchers (Carl Gustaf) with ammunition, anti-tank grenade launchers (AT4), anti-tank guided missiles 57 (NLAW), automatic rifles, demining equipment and combat vehicles 90 (CV 90), helmets, advanced ammunition, anti-ship missiles 17, anti-tank systems, off-road passenger vehicles, winter equipment, sights, bulletproof vests, tents, camouflage netting and air defence systems.
The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) is authorised by the Government to negotiate and enter into international agreements with the competent authority in Ukraine, including for the procurement of defence materiel. The agreement also includes cooperation on support for the establishment and development of a procurement organisation and procurement activities, as well as the sharing of information and experience in this area.
On 22 December 2022, the Government decided that Sweden will help train Ukrainian demining sappers. In the project, the Swedish Armed Forces will train 48 Ukrainian instructors who will then train 100 demining sappers each in Ukraine. This means that around 4 800 people will have been trained in demining by the end of the year. The Swedish instructors will be detached from the Swedish EOD and Demining Centre (Swedec), which is Sweden’s centre of excellence for national and international missions in ammunition and demining.
Since spring 2023, Sweden is participating in the European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine). Swedish instructors are contributing to medical training and infantry battalion training conducted at the Special Training Command (ST-C), one of the mission’s two force headquarters, in Germany.
Within the framework of EUMAM, Sweden has also conducted training on donated military materiel. The mission provides basic and specialised training for Ukrainian soldiers on EU Member States’ territory. The strategic objective is to strengthen the military capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces so that Ukraine can defend its territorial integrity and effectively exercise its sovereignty. EUMAM Ukraine is led by the EU’s Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) in Brussels, which serves as a strategic and operational headquarters for the mission. Sweden has contributed personnel reinforcements to the MPCC since the autumn of 2022 and will continue doing so until November 2024.
The Swedish Government has given the Swedish Armed Forces a framework mandate to carry out and take part in military training of Ukrainian citizens in 2024. Ongoing training activities are now being extended, with the possibility to supplement previous training initiatives with additional activities. This framework mandate will improve the Swedish Armed Forces’ ability to both plan their activities for the year and respond to urgent Ukrainian training needs when they arise.
The contents of the training package are based on experience from 2023 and assessments of new training requirements resulting from the recently established capability coalitions (with the framework of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group). It is estimated that upwards of 18 000 Ukrainian students will go through the training activities in which Swedish instructors take part in 2024.
The Swedish Armed Forces have been commissioned to provide orientation training for Ukrainian pilots and associated aeronautical personnel in JAS 39. The background to this is that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have expressed a wish to be able to evaluate JAS 39 operationally, since one of the most urgent measures is to strengthen Ukrainian air defence with a NATO-interoperable fighter aircraft system. JAS 39 is highly capable of operating in the requested air defence role and as an attack and reconnaissance aircraft. JAS 39 Gripen is fully NATO-interoperable and was developed to be able to operate from scattered road bases, which has proved crucial for the survival of the Ukrainian Air Force. In addition, JAS 39 can be rapidly refuelled and rearmed, where conscripts are used in the preflight inspection and servicing of the aircraft.
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