The Swedish Armed Forces stated on Tuesday that they had asked the government to expropriate property belonging to a Russian national near a naval base in the Stockholm archipelago.
In its statement, the Swedish military noted that the property is situated on one of the approaches to the ‘Muskö’ naval base. Swedish media report that it belongs to a Russian businessman with links to the Kremlin.
“The development of Russia’s drone warfare has changed the nature of the threats facing Sweden. It is therefore necessary to take measures to protect Sweden from the threat posed by both aerial and maritime drones,” the Swedish Armed Forces stated, as quoted by AFP.
The statement notes that this area is the “only place” not at their disposal “to ensure effective defence” of the base, “in particular against drones”.
Commenting on the military’s appeal, Swedish Defence Minister Paul Jonsson stated that the security situation had deteriorated in recent years, and that the threat to Sweden and Swedish interests was becoming increasingly complex. He noted that, under current regulations, the state may expropriate – that is, forcibly take possession of – property if it is required, amongst other things, for military defence; a request to this effect will be prepared by government agencies.
The newspaper *Expressen* reported that this property allegedly belongs to the Russian businessman Stanislav Aleshchenko, who has links to Russian President Vladimir Putin – although formally the property was registered in his wife’s name.
Expressen contacted Aleshchenko’s wife, Tatyana Sazonova. In a comment to journalists, she said she was unaware of the property’s proximity to a Swedish naval base.
“No, I didn’t know that when I bought it; I looked everywhere. And it was a coincidence. An unfortunate coincidence,” she said, whilst also rejecting all claims regarding security risks.
Earlier, Swedish media had reported that he was building a huge country house and that the government was considering ways to halt the construction.
The state broadcaster SVT reported that this property had become “a thorn in the side of the Armed Forces”.
Sweden ended two centuries of military neutrality and joined NATO in 2024 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.