Today's Sweden is beautiful and prosperous. The northerners have begun massively distributing a 20-page survivor's manual, which isn't inspiring any optimism, in case of a crisis or a war. 4.8 million copies have been provided, one for each house. It gives some basic tips and facts, you know — everything's gone to hell, the sky is falling, and everyone knows that it's all bad. And even if nothing has happened yet, it's on the way for sure, so here's what you need to be ready, according to the document: salt, matches, gas burners, plastic lavatories, peas, corn, and meatballs.
— Oh yeah, don't forget the meatballs.
— Hey, preparing for war is serious business. Let's have a look.
"People have a right to know what potential threats may be awaiting them, and most importantly, whether they'll be ready for them. We know that most of our citizens, do not really know about these things. Swedish schools do not teach what to do when there's a hidden threat or an air attack".
"We do not have enough information. We carried out a number of studies that clearly showed us that the citizens of Sweden need assistance in preparing for any possible crisis. Here we have tips on food, water, electricity, and so on".
"Here we have maize, and here — different types of peas. And here we have cucumbers, and there — pumpkins. Fish meatballs are okay; they're not too bad. You can eat them just like that, and they stay edible for a few years. I think most people think it's okay to eat fish meatballs".
— To be continued. Here it comes, I can see it now: "Russia is to blame and there was no need to intimidate the vulnerable European civilization with hypersonic weapons, or the mega launches of Bulavas from underwater. There was no need to test-fly any Sarmats, Armatas, or Kinzhals."
Well, let's count the number of recent large-scale NATO drills in the vicinity of our borders. All of them were conducted during the sunny month of May. Sea Shield on the Black Sea. Siil 2018 in Estonia — the biggest exercise in the history of the country. Summer Wolf, try to guess the year... right, 2018 again. Then there's Anaconda 2018, where thousands of NATO troops are training to fight one large eastern foe, you can guess which one. This footage caused a panic among the Swedes. Judge for yourself.
— Right. Commander in Chief of the Ukrainian Army Petro Poroshenko appears to be adding fuel to the fire. His joy from getting anti-tank Javelin systems seems to have an extended effect. And we'll prove that. Although we can assume that any euphoria leads to disappointment or, in his case, depression.
Petr Poroshenko, President of Ukraine: "Our units are safe from a possible tank attack by Russian troops and the militants they control. Our new system is already working successfully. The fact that we have Javelins makes the Russian or their subordinate troops refuse to face us on the battlefield."
— Poroshenko's words are hardly worth analyzing. It's just another brush on someone else's canvas rapidly painted by, say, Poland, the most advanced Eastern European country right now, at least according to statistics that proposed the US to permanently position a military base on their territory. And Warsaw is ready to pay them $2 billion for this. Why? Let's find out.
Andrzej Duda, President of Poland: "We must remember the importance of our transatlantic ties, especially now, when our national security is being challenged by various players jeopardizing peace and security. The most dangerous one is Russia, which threatens the international order".
Stanislaw Karczewski, Senator (Poland): "Our troops mustn't end up like the Ukrainians in Ilovaisk in 2014, when they were fired at from Russian territory. However, they were prohibited from firing back for political reasons. We need a clear declaration that in case of clear aggression against a NATO member, our response will be tough and the territory of the aggressor wouldn't be considered untouchable".
Mariusz Blaszczak, Minister of Defense (Poland): "Together with our eastern allies, we support the increased presence of US troops in our part of Europe. Yesterday, I talked to my Romanian counterpart in Warsaw. We have the same goals. This work and my visit to the US means that there are first signs that the US Congress, and the Senate, in our case, treat the long-term American troop surge in Poland seriously".
— Jakub? They are going to snatch two billion out of your pocket to pay the US.
Jakub Korejba, political analyst (Poland): Well, independence is an expensive thing. We could clearly exist within some empire, but so far, we have the money to pay for our sovereignty. Recently, Russia has been trying hard to create the image of a strong, militant, will-stop-at-nothing kind of nation, and you succeeded. Everybody got really scared. In this case, the Russian threat is not the reason. It's more of a motive for all those actions. The thing is, we are going after the role of a junior regional partner, as Americans call it.
— A wife.
— Right now, America is the strongest superpower in our world. I doubt it'll change soon. The only thing other nations can aspire for is regional leadership. We, Poland, want to be like Japan, Great Britain, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. We want to get our sub-zone of influence. In this case, Poland wants to be the leader of Eastern Europe, get our "jarlig (decree) to rule," as you Russians call it.
— How will you pay your tribute?
— The bad news for you is that our interests aligned with the ones of the USA. And in order to attain regional leadership, we'll have to limit Russian regional influence. We don't have the means to do that. The US has them. We only need to point in the right direction.
— To do what?
— We’ve tried to find the reason for the recent escalation. Perhaps the aggression you're speaking about, if that's what you're calling what happened four years ago, was the construction of the Nord Stream. Still, it's unclear. It's an official statement.
— We've never concealed that we're fed up with Russian supremacy in the region. For the last 300 years, Russia has been the leader of Eastern Europe. Let someone else have the wheel. Let someone else…
— You had a chance and you blew it.
— You have a lot of regions in the south, east, or north; places where you can dominate. Leave Eastern Europe to us.
— Constantinople?
— And still, in 2016, NATO troops were deployed there on a revolving basis. They promised us not to increase their presence, just like in 1990. Secondly, they promised to keep the revolving basis. And now, we receive an official statement that NATO is expanding to the east and building a new base. Peskov has already commented on that, but we still don't know how to react.
— The statement mentioned NATO troops and I'm talking about American ones. It's a different thing.
— Americans will also be there.
— You don't know all the facts: We're speaking about NATO troops, American NATO troops in your case, because they supervise you.
— In the statement, they mention a multilateral agreement.
— Pan Korejba, can you let others speak, please?
Alexander Khinshtein, Advisor to the Director of the National Guard: Thank you. First, I'd like to remind you that NATO's expansion to the east began with Poland. In 1993, when our former president Boris Yeltsin visited Warsaw, he said the words that became the motto of our foreign policy of that period. He said that the expansion of NATO didn't interfere with Russia's interests and signed the declaration. Only in 1996, when Yevgeny Primakov took over the Foreign Ministry, did Russia claim that the NATO expansion threatened our national security. Because the North Atlantic Alliance was initially founded to repel the aggression of the Soviet communists, as it's written in their charter. By 1993, when we carelessly agreed to that, neither the communist bloc nor the USSR existed. Nobody mentioned that fact at the time.
The things Jakub says are entertaining and interesting, and I praise your frankness and honesty regarding the policy of your government. But I believe there's a certain term used for selling love for money. This term is universal in all countries. Poland is no exception. You claim that you're tired of 300 years of Russian reign. So let's take money from someone else, and we'll use the money to…
— Wait, it's Poland that's going to pay the US.
— Well, Poland won't spend its own money. Wait a second. Poland won't pay its own money to the US. Jakub has told us multiple times that Poland receives money from the EU to develop its economy, right? They are paid for their policy. So, they'll get money from the EU and pay it to the US. But there's one thing I don't understand…
Jakub Korejba: We want the same status!
— I just... You know, in order to get the same status your economic and diplomatic level has to match the British or at least the Turkish one. Only one thing remains unclear: What kind of threat do Russia and its military pose to Poland? Have there been any clashes? Any covert actions?
— The time frame is 300 years.
— And what happened in those 300 years?
— They tend to mention Ukraine, Crimea, and the year 2014.
— Fine. Crimea, Ukraine, and even the counter attacks against Russian peacekeepers in 2008 have nothing to do with Poland.
— Scary.
— What kind of threat do we pose to Warsaw or the great city of Gdansk?
Jakub Korejba: The kind of threat is irrelevant. Objectively speaking, you might not be a threat to us at all. But Poland and the US have a certain subjective consensus. And the truth is what the majority believes in. The majority of people in Poland and the US believe that you're a threat. In this case, our interests align and our values are the same. I wonder why you're playing this game. But it seems you've got something to gain.
