The Swedish government has decided on a preparedness package for Sweden's municipalities of 1.4 billion kronor. The package aims to increase municipalities' and regions' ability to perform their tasks even under heightened preparedness and ultimately war. The funds of about 1.4 billion kronor for 2026 are allocated in three subcomponents.
Half a billion kronor goes to purchasing equipment for civil defense, such as electricity generators and diesel tanks. The equipment can be used in crisis or in the worst case war to maintain basic functionality at the local level in society. The equipment will be usable by municipalities and stored regionally or locally, but procured and owned by the state. The second part is a financial component where 400 million kronor will be added in economic resources to municipalities to continue building up, for example, storage for food, fuel, and medicine. Nearly 500 million kronor will be distributed to municipalities of 'special importance for total defense.' Which municipalities are of special importance for total defense is classified.
Valdemarsvik municipality has received over one million kronor in grants from the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB). The grant is for investments in so-called decentralized supply preparedness. The purpose is to give municipalities support to improve their preparedness during crises. The money can be used for important purchases as well as infrastructure, such as buying stocks of food, water, fuel, or medicine.
The government is providing 2.4 billion kronor to ease the burden on Swedish households from high electricity bills. The Swedish Social Insurance Agency has been tasked by the government to prepare payments of the electricity support. The electricity support payments will not be made until summer.
The Stockholm stock exchange plunged on Monday morning, falling by almost 3 percent. Avanza's iPhone app malfunctioned, according to Dagens Industri. It is unclear what caused the problems with Avanza's app. The Avanza app reportedly started working normally again at 09:45.
Additional people are suspected of crimes linked to the catastrophic bar fire in Swiss Crans-Montana. 41 people died in the fire at the bar Le Constellation on New Year's Eve. More than 100 were injured in the fire. Five local officials or former officials are being investigated as part of a growing criminal investigation. According to media reports, one of those being investigated is the local mayor Nicolas Féraud. All five had some form of responsibility for municipal safety issues. The bar had not been inspected for fire safety in years. The bar's owner is suspected of, among other things, involuntary manslaughter. A total of nine people are currently suspected of crimes.
A female cyclist was hit by a car outside a preschool in Uppsala. The driver, a man in his 35s, is suspected of failing to yield. There is no further information about the woman's injuries. On Sunday evening, police in Sandviken received several calls from an address. A woman in her 55s called and claimed she had been assaulted in the building's laundry room by a neighbor. When police arrived and spoke with those involved, it turned out the claim was false. Instead, the accused neighbor, a woman in her 35s, contacted police and said her neighbor—the first woman—had broken into the laundry room and stolen laundry. The first woman is now suspected of vandalism and theft.
The crew member arrested yesterday on the boarded ship Caffa is a Russian citizen and is the ship's commander.