Gotland is preparing for a Russian attack while traditional security ties with the U.S. fray.
By VICTOR JACKin Gotland, Sweden
Photo by Victor Jack
NATO is scrambling to fortify a windswept Baltic island that military planners increasingly see as one of the alliance’s most exposed — and strategically vital — front lines against Russia.
Perched in the middle of the Baltic Sea, Gotland sits just 300 kilometers from Russia’s heavily militarized exclave of Kaliningrad. As fears grow over Russian aggression, hybrid attacks and wavering U.S. commitment to European security, Sweden and its NATO allies are racing to turn Gotland back into a military stronghold.
