Blankets, batteries and crispbreads Nordic countries get set for conflict

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has dramatically raised security tensions across the Baltic region, prompting Finland and Sweden to abandon decades of non-alignment and join Nato.

- Jon Henley, Miranda Bryant, Kate Connolly

Germany is developing an app to help people locate the nearest bunker in the event of attack. Sweden is distributing a 32-page pamphlet entitled If Crisis or War Comes. Half a million Finns have already downloaded an emergency preparedness guide.

If the prospect of a broader conflict in Europe seems remote for many, some countries at least are taking it seriously - and, in the term used by Germany's defence minister, Boris Pistorius, taking steps to get populations kriegsfähig: ready for war.

Military capability, however, is not all: citizens have to be braced too.

"We live in uncertain times," the Swedish pamphlet's prologue says. "Armed conflicts are currently being waged in our corner of the world. Terrorism, cyber attacks, and disinformation campaigns are being used to undermine and influence us."

It adds that collective resilience is essential, and if Sweden is attacked, "everyone must do their part to defend Sweden's independence - and our democracy You are part of Sweden's overall emergency preparedness."

Swedes have long been familiar with such pamphlets: the first was in the second world war. The latest advises on, among other topics, warning systems, air raid shelters, digital security and how to use the toilet if there is no water.

It also recommends keeping a good supply of water at home; having plenty of blankets, warm clothes and alternative heating; getting a battery-powered radio, and storing plenty of energy-rich, quick-to-prepare food.

Reaction among Swedish residents has been mixed. Johnny Chanoun, 36, a hairdresser in Solna, near Stockholm, said it was "good to be prepared". But, he said, while the brochure was a good idea, it had not been much of a talking point.