Air raid alarm unsettles Swedish drivers

Swedish motorists were left confused this week after being mistakenly given an airstrike warning, an incident authorities on Thursday described as “serious” amid the war in Ukraine and Russia’s anger over Sweden’s NATO bid.

“We are in the process of investigating” how this happened, a spokeswoman for the Swedish Transport Agency told AFP.

The warning was broadcast on Wednesday via what is known as a Traffic Message Channel, a system currently being phased out in Sweden that allows motorists to receive traffic information through their car radio.

The message was sent in the southern province of Blekinge, home to one of Sweden’s largest air bases.

“Important traffic report, Blekinge district: air raid, danger” appeared on vehicle dashboards, preceded by a danger triangle.

The media then contacted the transport administration and informed them that the warning had been sent.

It was not initially known how many drivers received the message.

The transport administration said it knew “very little” about how it happened but considered it “serious” given the current situation in the Nordic country and the war in Ukraine.

Moscow has reacted frostily to Sweden’s decision to abandon two centuries of military non-alliance and seek NATO membership following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

Russian military planes violated Swedish airspace multiple times this year before the country officially submitted its NATO application.

Sweden reissued a war brochure for all households in 2018, advising Swedes on how to act in the event of a major crisis or conflict, despite the country not having seen a war on its soil for more than 200 years.