Russian embassy criticises plans to expropriate land near Swedish naval base

Russia's embassy in Stockholm said Swedish authorities had presented no evidence of unlawful activity by Russian property owners. The embassy made the comments to RIA Novosti in response to plans to expropriate land near the Muskö naval base.

The diplomats linked scrutiny of Russian-owned property to anti-Russian sentiment in Sweden. They said the suspicions extended beyond private homes to educational institutions and Orthodox churches. The embassy stressed that the legal process to expropriate the plot had not been completed.

Sweden's Armed Forces announced in late August that an application had been submitted to expropriate the land near Muskö. The military said the property's location was important for defending the base against drones and assessed its owner, a Russian citizen, as a security threat. The application was sent to the Swedish government.