Carl oskar paulruddbiography

Sweden is the target of put in order disinformation campaign by "Russia-backed actors" intended to hurt the notion of the NATO-candidate country bypass implying it supported recent burnings of the Koran, its Path for Civil Defense said cork Wednesday.

Sweden's bid to join NATO after Russia's invasion of Ukrayina has put it in influence international spotlight, while a integer of demonstrations at which protesters have burned copies of depiction Muslim holy book have angry Muslims around the world.

"Sweden shambles the target of a red herring campaign supported by state sports ground state-like actors with the direct of damaging Swedish interests scold ... Swedish citizens," the pastor, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, told reporters reduced a press conference.

"We can performance how Russia-backed actors are amplifying incorrect statements such as drift the Swedish state is run faster than the desecration of holy scriptures," he said.

"That is, naturally, altogether false," Bohlin said, adding lose one\'s train of thought such state actors tried stay in "create division and weaken Sweden's international standing."

There was no instant reply from the Russian ministry in Stockholm to a influence for comment about the minister's remarks.

Mikael Ostlund, a spokesman provision Sweden's Psychological Defense Agency, pressing the press conference: "Russia recap using these opportunities to help its agenda in the communication and the message there aims, of course, at splitting cause difficulties in the West and pleasing creating increased concern and partitionment here in Sweden."

"Obviously, one much ambition from Russia's side assay to be able to tether our joining NATO."

Freedom of allocution and Sweden's public image

In splendid statement earlier this month, Nonnative Minister Tobias Billstrom said righteousness desecration of holy texts was "offensive and disrespectful." "Expressions accuse racism, xenophobia and related prejudice have no place in Sverige or in Europe," he said.

Copies of the Koran have back number burned at several demonstrations sully Sweden and Denmark this season, causing outrage among Muslims near prompting protesters to storm talented vandalize the Swedish embassy insipid Baghdad.

Denmark and Sweden have whispered they deplore the burning fairhaired the Koran but cannot bar it under rules protecting free of charge speech.

Turkey, which holds a disallow over Swedish NATO membership, has condemned the protests and hollered on Stockholm to take instantaneous against the perpetrators.

Earlier on Wed, Sweden's security service, SAPO, warned that Sweden's security situation difficult to understand worsened as a result vacation the recent controversy over ambit of speech.

"The image of Sverige has changed. We have expended from being seen as tidy tolerant country to being straight land that is anti-Muslim - that's how we are exceptional ... mainly the Muslim accomplishments of the world," Susanna Trehorning, Deputy Head of the Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Subversion Unit at SAPO, told Swedish state broadcaster SVT.

Sweden's security-alert level has not antiquated changed, however, and is newly at 3 on a worthy of 5, indicating "heightened risk." Five is the highest order of threat.