Norway & Sweden – catching an icy wind from Russia

A northern cold war is hotting up with Russia ratcheting up “hybrid” operations of cyberattacks and signal-jamming in Norway affecting military, government and commercial operations. The fear is that conflict in Ukraine could spill over to the north.

  Sweden has sent hundreds of extra troops to the Baltic island of Gotland after Russia deployed more landing craft to the region and unidentified drones were seen above Swedish nuclear power stations. Over the past year Russia has reactivated Soviet-era military bases in the Arctic region and built new airstrips on islands in the high north. US and UK forces have also been gearing up for the possibility of conflict in the Arctic.

  Norway’s close alignment with the US and its allies has put it in Moscow’s sights. Part of the reason for Russia’s hectic burst of military activity in the far north is that it feels global warming and the melting of the Arctic ice is turning its northern coast — once an all but impenetrable natural barrier — into a 20,000-mile vulnerability. It is also trying to exploit the retreat of the ice sheets for commercial purposes as the northern sea passage becomes viable, which by some estimates could be  iceberg free in the summers by 2050.

  The Norway, 7 June 1905 11am Oslo chart, is showing distinct signs of disruptions and a turnaround in its relations with Russia this year with tr Pluto conjunct the composite Uranus. The tensions started mounting in 2019 and have been escalating since. The relationship between Norway and modern Russia 1991 is no better with tensions erupting mid this year and worsening through an aggravated 2023.

  The Norway country chart does look stressed exactly now into February with tr Neptune square the Pluto; with a ‘shock’ of sorts or a setback which could have military associations in 2023 with the Solar Arc Mars conjunct Saturn.  The Norwegian economy appears to be doing better than most as the pandemic wanes.

   The Sweden 6 June 1523 JC chart has an undermining tr Neptune square the Gemini Sun this year into early 2023. The Sweden 7 December 1865 3.30pm Stockholm chart, is labouring under tr Saturn square tr Pluto upending its Pluto in Taurus opposition Saturn which won’t clear until after the final disruptive tr Uranus conjunct Pluto this coming March.

   Relations with both old and new Russia on both Sweden charts are fraught and turbulent over the next three years. So nothing calming down too soon.

 See previous post Russia flexing its muscles  December 22 2021.