"Sergeant Bjorn Edvinger, 33, drives to the crest of the hill. The temperature hovers around -4C, but the humidity is high, and the cold seeps into your bones. The military truck, equipped with wide all-terrain tires, gets bogged down in the snow and dirt. A moment after reaching the summit, four tanks from a platoon of the P18 regiment roar from one side, heading toward a grove of trees."
"They are Stridsvagn 122s, an improved version of the German Leopard tank. First the whistling of ammunition, then the roar. The cannons fire .25 caliber shells, a smaller caliber used in exercises like this. We need to be able to stand up against a foreign threat when the time comes, explains 19-year-old recruit Gustav Arnstrom, standing next to his tank."
"Whoever controls Gotland can dictate who sails or flies in the Baltic region, says Colonel Dan Rasmussen, 58, who commands the regiment. The Russian exclave of Kaliningrad is only 170 miles away. A stone's throw. End of Swedish lethargy It was precisely Moscow and its imperialist campaign, unleashed with ferocity in Ukraine over the last decade, that roused the Swedes from a certain lethargy."
Sergeant Bjorn Edvinger leads maneuvers on a cold, humid crest as a military truck becomes bogged down while four Stridsvagn 122 tanks roar into position. The tanks fire .25 caliber shells during exercises meant to prepare troops to repel an airborne offensive. Recruit Gustav Arnstrom emphasizes the need to stand up against a foreign threat. Gotland’s strategic location allows control of Baltic air and sea routes and lies within 170 miles of Kaliningrad. Post–Cold War downsizing left few defenders on the island, and renewed Russian aggression in Ukraine prompted a restoration of Swedish defenses.
Read at english.elpais.com
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