Sweden’s armed forces have asked the government to expropriate a Russia‑owned property near a naval base on security grounds.
The request concerns a beach plot on Muskö island in the Stockholm archipelago, close to a major naval base. Parliament and the Ministry of Defence say the property could give hostile forces drone surveillance and a tactical edge.
Sources say a businessman with links to the Russian state is building a luxury house on the island, though his wife—who holds both Russian and Swedish citizenship—remains the sole registered owner.
Two years ago, Sweden ended two centuries of military non‑alignment and joined NATO in response to Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine.
Chief of the Defence Staff Carl‑Johan Edström warned the nation faces its most serious security situation since World War Two, citing the Russian drone threat as a decisive factor.
Defence Minister Pål Jonson added that no person should gain visibility into the site or obtain a tactical advantage. The Swedish public broadcaster SVT has called the property a “thorn” in the armed forces’ side.
