Europe’s worsening security situation has prompted the Swedish government to start distributing pamphlets on preparing and coping in the event of war or another crisis.
Driving the news: Russia fired a new kind of hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile into eastern Ukraine on Thursday, the most recent escalation in the nearly three-year war.
- This week, U.S. President Joe Biden authorized the use of long-range U.S. missiles into Russian territory, and British Storm Shadow missiles were also used by Ukraine.
- Earlier escalations included the Kremlin lowering the conditions under which Moscow can deploy its nuclear weapons and the use of North Korean troops on the frontlines.
Why it matters: Per Politico, the developments have “heightened global fears [...] war is escalating to a new phase.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said much of the same, and Putin said the supply of Western weapons has “elements of a global character.”
What they’re saying: “The last few dozen hours have shown that the threat is serious and real when it comes to global conflict,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said yesterday. Hours before, Russia said a U.S. base in Poland is now a “priority target for potential neutralization.”—SB