Half past nine local time, the first Swedish soldiers landed in Riga in two columns, one with the Swedish flag at the forefront and one with the NATO flag. They will participate in Sweden's first land operation as a NATO ally.
It's a historic day, a historic event, says Latvia's Defense Minister Andris Spruds.
Swedish officer Erik explains that they have been training for the operation since last summer and feel a great sense of responsibility.
We feel a sense of responsibility at the soldier level that we want to contribute to the alliance and be here and deter, he says.
After the soldiers, rumbling armored vehicles, armored personnel carriers, and tanks rolled in from the TT Lines ferry after a day-long journey across the Baltic Sea in harsh winds.
"Not like home"
The soldiers talk about a certain anxiety among their loved ones back home. How do they themselves view the mission, is it dangerous?
Not currently, but we have prepared for what can be called dangerous, says Ivar.
Jette Albinus, head of NATO's northern division, where the NATO brigade in Latvia is included, emphasizes the seriousness:
We do not describe the situation here in Latvia as peaceful, we are in a hybrid phase, where many activities are taking place, she says.
She points, among other things, to espionage against NATO.
So for the soldiers, it's not like home. They are in an environment where they need to keep an eye on each other and be vigilant, says Jette Albinus.
It's challenging times, believes Latvia's Defense Minister Andris Spruds, both globally and regionally, and Latvia is in a hybrid war. He points, among other things, to cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and a number of incidents in the Baltic Sea.
This is the best way to deter Russia from acting in a way that would be harmful to NATO, to us, but also to Russia itself, he says about the NATO force in Latvia.
14 NATO countries
In total, it's about 550 people, a reduced battalion, from the South Scanian Regiment, P7, in Skåne.
In Latvia, they will, under Canadian leadership, be part of a brigade where 14 different NATO countries are represented.
Swedish military will alternate every six months with Danish military to man the part of the NATO force in Latvia that is housed at Camp Valdemar in the town of Adazi, northeast of Riga.
NATO has forces deployed along NATO's eastern border, from the Baltic States in the north to Bulgaria in the south. A similar force is also being built up in Finland.
In the Latvian multinational brigade, 14 NATO countries are represented: Albania, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
The force has around 3,000 soldiers on high alert on site and during annual exercises, the number of soldiers increases.
Sweden is contributing with a reduced battalion of around 550 people. Sweden is also contributing personnel to the brigade's staff.
The Swedish battalion has brought with them armored vehicles 9040, mortar carrier bandvagn 90, tank 122, and armored personnel carrier 360, as well as trucks and broadened vehicles.
Source: NATO and the Swedish Armed Forces
