The Security Service presented its situation report for 2024-2025 on Tuesday.
According to the Security Service, the development of events in the surrounding world is happening quickly, making the security situation difficult to predict. However, there are already threats such as unauthorized intelligence activities, influence, and cyber attacks.
The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine continues, while changes are taking place in the USA that may affect the security situation, says Charlotte von Essen at a press conference.
Exactly how the USA's changed Russia policy will affect internal security remains to be seen.
That it creates anxiety and uncertainty, I am fully aware of. But how it concretely affects Sweden's security is a bit too early to answer, says Fredrik Hallström, operational manager at the Security Service.
At the same time, representatives of the Trump administration have openly shown support for right-wing extremist forces in countries such as Germany and the UK.
It is serious. We have seen in previous years an increased export of violence-promoting right-wing extremist propaganda from primarily the USA, and how it led to quite a few right-wing extremist attacks in the Western world, says Hallström.
"Violent propaganda"
The terrorist threat against Sweden is still assessed to be at a high level. In a decision in January, it was left at a four on the Security Service's five-grade scale.
The Security Service mentions threats from violence-promoting Islamist extremism and right-wing extremism. But also sees a new threat picture, with young people being drawn to gross violence rather than ideology.
We see an increased tendency towards normalization of very violent propaganda in different channels. It can be the gaming environment and dehumanized memes, primarily in closed online groups where the threshold for violence is lowered, says Hallström.
"Not creating anxiety"
Russia is still the greatest threat to Sweden, according to the Security Service, which also warns of cyber attacks from countries such as China and Iran.
Russian sabotage could be directed against Swedish support to Ukraine or against telecommunications activities. There is also a risk that Russia or other countries recruit young people, for example from organized crime.
At the same time, the Security Service urges not to draw hasty conclusions in incidents such as cable breaks in the Baltic Sea before things are properly investigated. The anxiety can also play into the hands of foreign actors, they believe.
We should not create anxiety and allocate all resources in one direction. This balance is something we need to work on together with the media and other parts of society, says Charlotte von Essen.
