The Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, announced on Tuesday that this Nordic country will deploy Patriot anti-aircraft defense systems in eastern Poland to contribute to the protection of the NATO logistics center that supplies weapons to Ukraine, reports Reuters.
Sweden will take over the Patriot missile support mission from the Netherlands, and the operation will begin in December. The Stockholm government has specified that it will detach approximately 100 military personnel from the air defense unit in Halmstad.
Last week, Sweden announced that it will deploy Gripen fighter jets in Poland, as part of a NATO mission to monitor the airspace.
“The purpose of the Gripen aircraft detachment, as well as the Patriot systems, represents (…) the protection of the NATO logistic hub in Poland, located at the airport,” declared Kristersson.
Sweden has refused to specify how many units of the Patriot system will be sent to Poland.
Last month, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated, citing undisclosed intelligence information, that Russia intends to launch “hybrid” attacks with drones and missiles against countries supporting Ukraine.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia “has no intention of attacking anyone… but if we are subjected to aggression, we will have no other option but to retaliate”.