TenĀ nationsĀ acrossĀ northernĀ Europe haveĀ agreed to prepare forĀ possible cross-borderĀ evacuations of civilians in theĀ eventĀ of aĀ crisisĀ orĀ militaryĀ conflictĀ in the region, in a bid toĀ drawĀ lessons from the war in Ukraine, Sweden said on Wednesday.
The 10 willĀ jointly prepareĀ plansĀ covering transport, border controls, travel corridors and other matters.
Germany and Poland, along with fellow NATO members Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Denmark, have rampedĀ upĀ their planning in recent years forĀ a possible future armedĀ conflictĀ with Russia.
āExperience from Ukraine has shown that temporary movements of the population enable the continued defense of the country while protecting civilians,ā Swedenās ministry of defense said in a statement announcing theĀ northernĀ EuropeanĀ agreement.
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Millions of people have fled Ukraine in the four years since Russiaās full-scale invasion in February 2022, most of them seeking refuge in otherĀ EuropeanĀ nationsĀ while theĀ conflictĀ at home continues.
Sweden said that in addition to transport and travel corridors, the planning forĀ cross-borderĀ evacuations will include the reception and registration of people and the protection of vulnerable groups.
āThe purpose of theĀ agreement is to improve the protection of the civilian population in theĀ eventĀ of majorĀ crisesĀ or, in the worst case, war,ā it said.
The Kremlin hasĀ repeatedly saidĀ that Russia does not want to invade NATO countries.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania last year made aĀ similarĀ agreementĀ between themselves,Ā drawingĀ upĀ contingencyĀ plansĀ to deal with the possibility of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing a Russian troop buildupĀ orĀ attack.
Finland, which shares a 1,340 kilometer-long border with Russia, in 2024 signed a similar deal with Sweden.
