Sweden, Denmark team to counter Russian cyber threat

By

The Associated Press

Swedish Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist speaks during a press conference with Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom and Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on November 2, 2015. AFP PHOTO / POOL / KHALID AL-MOUSILY / AFP / POOL / KHALID AL-MOUSILY

The defense ministers of Sweden and Denmark say they would boost their military cooperation to counter the threat of Russian military buildup, cyberattacks and false news.

Peter Hultqvist and Claus Hjort Frederiksen said in a joint statement titled “Russian fake news: A danger to our countries” that misinformation from Russia made their nations “increasingly unsafe.” They said Thursday they would increase hybrid warfare cooperation, but stopped short of giving details.

The two ministers from the neighboring Scandinavian countries cited an increased presence of Russian military vessels in the nearby Baltic Sea region, which has also seen several reports of airspace violations by Russian military aircraft.