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Sweden to send arms to Ukraine in break with tradition

135,000 field rations, 5,000 helmets and 5,000 pieces of body armour will also be sent

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By AFP

Published: Sun 27 Feb 2022, 10:28 PM

Sweden on Sunday announced it would break its doctrine of not sending arms to countries in active conflict and send military equipment, including anti-tank launchers, to Ukraine.

“My conclusion is now that our security is best served by us supporting Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia,” Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told reporters.

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Andersson said 5,000 anti-tank weapons of the model “Pansarskott 86”, a single-use anti-tank launcher known internationally as Bofors AT-4, would be sent to Ukraine.

The decision to send arms, 135,000 field rations, 5,000 helmets and 5,000 pieces of body armour is the first time Sweden has sent weapons to a country in armed conflict since the Soviet Union attacked Finland in 1939, Andersson added.

Swedish media reported that Ukraine had specifically requested the more advanced Robot-57 anti-tank system.

“A weapons system that can strike against tanks and armoured vehicles has been requested and this is such a system,” Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist said when asked about the decision.

“In addition this is a system that is easy to operate, doesn’t require training and can be handled by a single soldier,” Hultqvist added.

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Sweden officially abandoned its stance of neutrality at the end of the Cold War but remains officially “non-aligned” and outside military alliances.

The country is not a member of NATO, although it has been a partner to the alliance since the mid-1990s.

AFP

Published: Sun 27 Feb 2022, 10:28 PM

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