Preppers: Sweden bracing for the worst | DW Documentary
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Published 2022-07-19
After Russia illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and stepped up military exercises along the Baltic states, Sweden responded in 2017 by reintroducing compulsory military service. Sweden is expanding and better equipping its armed forces, while gradually increasing its defense budget. When Sweden requested NATO membership earlier this year, it marked a historic reversal of the nation’s longtime stance of military non-alignment.
Now, it’s up to Swedish citizens to ready themselves for the unthinkable and actively prepare for disaster. Robin has been prepping for years. The father sees to it that his home in Stockholm always has enough supplies for his family to survive independently for several weeks. He takes regular trips to the forest to spend a few days in the wilderness. His children always come with him, so that they, too, can practice survival skills.
In Sweden, interest in prepping is at an all-time high. Across all social strata, people are carefully stocking tins, training survival skills, and even learning how to shoot. And the preppers are networking. Pär Plüschke is 38 and offers prepping courses. He says enrollment used to be manageable but now he can hardly keep up with the demand.
In the wake of intensifying armed conflicts, the disastrous effects of climate change, and a growing threat of cyber attacks, more and more Swedes want to take action. Instead of simply discussing these issues, they feel this is the best way to assume responsibility for themselves and protect their community.
#documentary #dwdocumentary #preppers #Sweden
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All Comments (21)
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I am in northern sweden which is very different to the Stockholm area. A lot of people are quite self sufficiant up here. Hunting, fishing, harvesting berries, making enough firewood for the 6-7 month winter etc happens in almost every household. Here in the north you always have power outages, extreme weather etc so it always makes sense to be ready for everything. What people elsewhere call "prepping" is just normal everyday life in northern sweden.
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Even without war, it’s always good to be prepared, so in case of an emergency you can be in a position to help and not the one that needs to be helped.
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"If I only enjoy the freedoms and not stand up fpr them, they are not worth much". Strong words!
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I've always been fascinated by the fact that these guys speak English much better than most Americans.
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I live in Sweden and I been prepping for about 25 years. I think this documentary focus way to much on war. Cant speak for anyone else but i believe the most likeley scenario and therefor most important to prepar for is things like long lasting blackouts, floads, forest fires etc.
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It never ceases to amaze me how civil and mature the people of northern Europe can be and approach issues without egos getting in the way when community is the subject and as they treat all issues extremely sensibly with direct approach.
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Being a prepper is something they should teach in schools right from the beginning.
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As a Swede - my prepping has nothing to do with fear of Russian aggression. It has to do with fear of incompetent politicians on national and EU level - as shown now - that fear has been well founded.
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Several great father's in this video, the knowledge and fortitude they're teaching their children will be priceless in the years to come.
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Totally admire the Swedish mindset and their sense of readiness. You can tell they're trying their best to prepare for the worst yet never forget to maintain their sense of normalcy and rationality.
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What a beautiful thing this father and daughter have experienced together. I lessons the stress I believe.
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Thank you to all the participants in this video. I have learned a great deal about Sweden and how they are determined to be prepared for crisis situations. I think we should do the same in the UK.
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In Eastern Europe this is not prepping, is tradition.
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I totally agree with the concept of being prepared for an emergency and need to shelter in place.
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Good job Sweden for being smart and well organized! I am impressed by the parking structure bunkers and the government pamphlets encouraging people to prep. I also learned in the comments from someone speaking Swedish, why my grandparents always said "folks" instead of "people." 👍
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I love the Scandinavian way of life and their love of, Nature - their great outdoors. I am an optimist, but also a realist, so I always hope for the best, but I enjoy being properly prepared from everyday essentials, up to for 6-12+ months of stockpiles. I hope Sweden 🇸🇪 & Finland 🇫🇮 decide to join soon - stronger together!👍
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I believe that the Swedish parents have gifted their children the greatest of tools, the impulse to not panic, and to not dread. For example, they never taught her to do it specifically, but their young daughter guided her friends to use the solution of spelling out the helpful words when a group of friends became lost, solely because of her frame of mind. She didn’t panic nor dread, so her mind was free to come up with a solution. What a wonderful gift, right? The gift of a tranquil mind. What great parents she has. After all, as they say, life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it!
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I built a 5000 sq ft home incase my kids ever needed a place. The pandemic proved that to be the right thing to do. My 23 and 29 year old sons live at home and have been prepping for the worst. Summer of 2020, they dozed the land and have planted 50 early, mid and late blueberry bushes on top of the 20 I already had. They've planted multi verities of fruit trees on top of the almost 20 I had. They are growing gardens along the acreage borders. They built a ram pump and pump water 200 ft altitude into three 2,800 gal tanks that gravity flow to the house and gardens. It's now a jungle of food around here, so I asked them why so much food and they said to help others in need. They are drying most everything for storage and have collected jars of seeds to share. They also invested heavily in the market just in case it turns to treasure when they reach my age. They also pay the bills and stock our over kill pantry with years of foods. I must say, I'm 66 and pretty proud of my boys.
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could there possibly be a more wholesome gift from a father to a daughter than a quality knife?
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A wise person never seeks out war but must always be ready for it
