Sweden’s armed forces have asked the government to expropriate a Russia-owned property near a naval base on security grounds.
The military requested the seizure of the beach plot near Muskö base in Stockholm archipelago, citing “the threat from Russian drones and the ownership situation of the property”.
Swedish reports say a businessman with links to the Russian state, has been building a luxury house on Muskö island – although his wife, who holds both Russian and Swedish citizenship, is the registered owner.
Two years ago, Sweden ended two centuries of military non-alignment and joined Nato because of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In its statement, the military said the location had “unique conditions for strengthening the defence of Muskö Naval Base, particularly against drones”.
The development of Russian drone warfare has “changed the threat landscape for Sweden”, the military added.
Public broadcaster SVT said the property has been “a thorn in the armed forces’ side”.
Defence Minister Pål Jonson said the country needed to “make sure there’s no risk of anyone gaining visibility into the site or any kind of tactical edge”, Sweden’s TV4 reported.
The armed forces’ statement quoted Chief of the Defence Staff Carl-Johan Edström as saying that Sweden was “facing the most serious security situation since the end of World War Two”.
It is unclear whether the Russian businessman is currently living in Sweden.
His wife is reported to have owned the property since 2017.
