The Swedish Armed Forces have formally requested that the government expropriate a property owned by a Russian citizen located near the Muskö Naval Base in the Stockholm archipelago. According to a statement from the military, the land is situated at one of the approaches to the base and represents the only location not currently at their disposal required to establish an effective defense, particularly against aerial and sea-going drones.
Military officials noted that the location possesses unique conditions for strengthening the defense of the Muskö Naval Base. The Armed Forces stated that the development of Russian drone warfare has fundamentally altered the threat landscape for Sweden, creating an urgent need to implement measures to protect the country against these specific dangers. Chief of the Defence Staff Carl-Johan Edström emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, "We are facing the most serious security situation since the end of the Second World War, and the threat against Sweden and the Alliance is real."
Swedish media, including the newspaper Expressen, have reported that the property belongs to Russian businessman Stanislav Aleshchenko, who has known links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, although the property is formally registered in his wife's name. Previous reports indicated that Aleshchenko was in the process of constructing a large holiday home at the site, and the government had previously explored various ways to halt the construction. Public broadcaster SVT reported that the property has been a "thorn in the Armed Forces' side." Sweden ended two centuries of military non-alignment and joined Nato in 2024, following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
