A US Air Force spy plane while on a mission along Russian borders violated the Swedish airspace. Stockholm didn’t seem to mind, though the Swedish government requested explanations from the US Embassy in Sweden.
"We acknowledge a US aircraft veered into Swedish airspace and will take active steps to ensure we have properly communicated with Swedish authorities in advance to prevent similar issues before they arise," the US State Department said.
The incident was first reported by the Swedish news agency Svenska Dagbladet. According to the ABC News, on July 30 the US Embassy in Stockholm sent its Acting Defense Attache and Political Officer to the Swedish Foreign Ministry, and the issue was settled. “As far as the [Ministry of Foreign Affairs] is concerned, the matter is thereby closed,” the Swedish MFA spokesperson announced.
Says Johan Bäckman, Doctor of Social Sciences and Adjunct professor of sociology of law at the University of Helsinki:
I don’t believe that the air space of Sweden was violated. I think that there was an agreement between the US and Sweden about kind of a legal violation of the air space. I think that Sweden is giving plenty of aid to the US intelligence against Russia.
It is very well known that Sweden was providing the US with the intelligence information about Russia. That is well known. And it is very likely that Sweden is now cooperating with the US against Russia in this very tense situation, where it is very probable that the US is preparing another provocation in the Baltic Sea against Russia.
For this purpose they are gathering intelligence around the Baltic Sea and it is very likely that the provocation, which they are planning, has something to do with the Kaliningrad region. It is not excluded that the US is planning to shoot down another airplane in the Baltic Sea and then blame Russia and Kaliningrad for that. That is one of the possibilities in this case.
We remember one very interesting incident – the provocation with the Soviet submarine in the early 1980’es, the so-called Whiskey on the Rocks provocation. It was an orchestrated provocation and it was used to change the public opinion in Sweden and Finland, as well, towards more anti-Soviet. It was organized by Swedes together with the Americans. Now they are probably trying to do something like that and the situation is obviously very dangerous, because the provocations orchestrated by the US have been extremely horrifying.
First of all, in February this year there was a massacre of innocent civilians by snipers in the Kiev city’s center, in Ukraine. It is very likely that it was organized by the US security services together with NATO. The other even more horrible provocation was shooting down the Boeing airplane at the exact location of the People’s Republic of Donetsk.
The purpose of the Boeing incident was to bring NATO troops into the People’s Republic of Donetsk. For this purpose the NATO troops from Australia and the Netherlands have been waiting on the territory of Ukraine. They have been ready to occupy, to intervene into the territory of the People’s Republic of Donetsk at the site of the crashed airplane.
It is very well known that the Kiev junta has informed the press about approximately 1 000 armed soldiers from Australia and from the Netherlands, who were allegedly waiting on the territory of Ukraine for the possibility to enter the territory of the Donetsk Republic.
…Swedish diplomats have been financing and giving backup to anti-Putin organizations in Russia. The Swedish diplomats have intervened into the democratic processes in Russia. The Swedish intelligence services have cooperated with the US intelligence in order to gather and deliver information about the political situation in Russia, including the concrete individuals of the Russian leadership.
In this case, it is very clear that the question is not about any kind of violation of the Swedish border; it has been agreed with the Swedish leadership that they have the possibility to cross the Swedish border.
We have to remember that the Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt is the main representative of the US in the northern Europe. It is well-known that he is doing everything possible in the interests of the US. And in this way he is betraying the Swedish people, obviously.
Which means that Sweden is no longer a neutral country it used to be?
Johan Bäckman: Well, I think that in the today’s situation both Sweden and Finland, they are neutral countries. They are outside of NATO, they are not NATO countries and they are not even actively seeking for NATO membership. But the US and the US intelligence are trying to use and utilize individual politicians in Finland and in Sweden in the interests of the US intelligence.
And at this moment, the US is planning various kinds of aggressive operations against Russia, including a colour revolution in Moscow, which they are planning right now. It is the third front they are opening now against Russia.
The US has opened three fronts against Russia. The first is the military aggression of the Kiev junta against Russia and against Russians. The second is the sanctions, which they are operating from the rear at the same time. And the third front will be opened in Moscow very soon, by the means of provoking a colour revolution in Moscow.
And they are trying to influence people by the means of massive provocation which have been carried out on the territory of Ukraine. And now they are planning a new provocation. And I'm very sure that they are doing everything to utilize their contacts with Sweden.
At this point the main strategy of the US is to join Sweden and Finland to NATO by all means. And the main task of the US is obviously to change the public opinion in these countries.
And now they are doing it by the means of the press, by the means of recruiting journalists and also by the means of recruiting politicians. The Foreign Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt is, in fact, the representative of the USA. His every word is as if dictated from Washington. He never says anything that would be in contradiction with the interests of Washington.
On the other hand, the new Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb is known as a pro-American politician. And he, as well, never says anything that would be in contradiction with the interests of Washington. And now, the axis of the Finnish Premier Stubb and the Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt is extremely important for the Americans, who are now, probably by the means of provocations, trying to change the public opinion in Finland and Sweden towards a war, towards a pro-NATO public opinion.
The main goal of the US in this situation is to proliferate Russophobia, to maximize it in these countries and in the press of these countries. And that’s the only goal of the US at the moment for the NATO enlargement. And that is the only strategic interest, as well, in any intelligence operation of the US in the Baltic Sea. Now America is preparing the press, it is preparing their journalists, they have recruited in northern European countries to promote the anti-Russian aggression and to promote the anti-Russian and Russophobic political position and opinion. They are already brainwashing people towards an extremely anti-Russian position.
It is very clear now that the anti-Russian opinions and anti-Russian atmosphere is very much growing in Finland and in Sweden, because the press is writing about allegations, accusations against Russia, against Putin, against everybody in Russia every day, from morning till noon.
So, we have to face the fact that the press, both in Finland and Sweden, is extremely Russophobic and it is full of American influence...
If you accuse Russia of everything from morning till evening, it is very much likely to have some influence sooner or later. And when the Malaysian airplane was shot down, the first news in Finland was accusing Putin of shooting down the airplane. And it has a very big impact on the opinion of the young people.
Now the young people in Finland and in Sweden are very likely to develop an extremely anti-Russian opinion. And the anti-Russian campaign in the press, the anti-Putin campaign especially, has a very big significance in the Swedish press and in the Finnish press as well. By the way, the Swedish press has published plenty of materials about an alleged military aggression of Russia against Sweden. And by the means of this propaganda they are trying to change the public opinion.
Also, there is kind of an informal agreement between Finland and Sweden about joining NATO. I mean, the Finns say that if Sweden joins NATO, then we will join as well. So, the public opinion in Sweden has a very big significance to Finns as well. I mean, if Sweden joins NATO, it is very likely that Finland joins too. So, this is a very important thing for the US to orchestrate provocations and by these means to change the public opinion in Finland and Sweden.
You also said NATO military is already in Ukraine?
Johan Bäckman: First of all, the private mercenaries and the private companies are being already used on the territory of Ukraine. They are being used all the time. It is known that the NATO forces have been used on the territory of Ukraine as well. For example, there was a wide discussion about the snipers, which were representing the NATO countries.
Regarding the situation in the Donbas region, like I already said, the Kiev junta, informed the public about approximately 1 000 armed soldiers from Australia and from the Netherlands who were ready to enter Donbas allegedly to watch the crash’s site. So, the crash’s site is only kind of a synonym for the NATO intervention.
I mean, if approximately 1 000 soldiers from the Netherlands and from Australia, enter the crash’s site, it means NATO occupation. Then, they will organize another provocation. They will say that somebody was shooting at them etc. and they will bring more troops etc. So, it will be a NATO intervention.
But that is absolutely illegal from the point of view of international legislation. Ukraine is in no way a NATO country, is it?
Johan Bäckman: Yes, but if you check the press, you can see that the Kiev so-called Parliament has agreed with Australia and with the Netherlands to bring approximately 1 000 armed soldiers to guard the crash’s site. I mean, it is public information. They are saying that they are inviting armed soldiers from Australia and the Netherlands to guard the site, but, as a matter of fact, it is a cover for the NATO intervention, obviously.
So, when we are talking about the major confrontation between NATO and Russia, do you see a prospect of a real war breaking out?
Johan Bäckman: Well, I think the real war has already broken out. I think this is the Third World War. But it is not like the First World War, it is not like the Second World War, it is very much different. It is a war of secret armies, it is a war of mercenaries, private companies, it is a war of terrorist provocations.
But it has the same idea, as the Hitler’s campaign against the Soviet Union had. Destroying the Soviet Union is still the main goal of the Russia’s enemy. Now the main goal of the US is the regime change, which means – they are going to do that Putin would not be the president anymore. And they are trying to do this by all means.
What is very important for the US is to stop the building of the Eurasian Union. The Eurasian Union is scheduled to be created at the beginning of 2015. Now, by all these means the US and its allies are doing everything to stop the building of the Eurasian Union, and to prevent the Eurasian Union from becoming a significant geopolitical player.
And when the Eurasia Union will be created – next year – it will be a very significant player in the inernational politics, and in the geopolitics as well. This is something the US doesn’t want to see. So, they are by all means trying to organize chaos and a civil war in Ukraine. They are shooting down the airplanes. They are using snipers. They are doing everything to incite chaos. And now they are operating very thoroughly planning the new provocations: the use of chemical weapons on the territory of Ukraine and then to blame Russia, and the second one is to shoot down a civilian airplane in the Baltic Sea, and then to blame Russia.
There has been an incident of shooting down a civilian airplane in the Baltic Sea already at the beginning of the WW II. It was the Finnish airplane called Kaleva, which was shot down in the Baltic Sea at the beginning of the WWII. It is not excluded that the US and Great Britain as well are planning a similar kind of provocation.
And it is very useful for them to target Finland and Sweden, because these are neutral countries. If somebody shoots down a civilian airplane of a neutral country, obviously, it will be a terrible shock for everybody, for the whole of Europe. And if the provocateurs are able to mask their terrorist attack and to blame it on Russia, which is their obvious goal – to organize a false flag operation – it can be beneficial for the interests of the US.
But the problem is that the provocations that the US and NATO tried to organize before have not been successful. The snipers, the shooting down of the airplane, the attempt to bring in 1 000 NATO soldiers to Donbas – after all, these have not been successful.
So, they are now trying to do something more successful and they are very thoroughly investigating the situation in the Baltic Sea. They will try to blame Kaliningrad, which is being one of their goals for a long time already – to blame Kaliningrad and to create the suspiciousness against it etc. So, I think this is the main aim of the US at the moment.
