Authored by Sam Faddis via AND Magazine,

As the mainstream press in the United States continues to obsess with imaginary threats from Trump’s army of “fascist” supporters, the Europeans are focused on the very real possibility that the Biden–Harris administration is going to start World War III on its way out the door. All over the continent, military and civilian authorities are working hard on civil defense preparations and planning for armed conflict with Russia.

Illustration via LBC

Sweden is sending out five million pamphlets to its citizens telling them how to prepare. The pamphlets include instructions on stockpiling food and finding shelter during a nuclear attack. Excerpts from the document include:

“An insecure world requires preparedness. The military threat to Sweden has increased and we must prepare for the worst - an armed attack.”

“The global security situation increases the risks that nuclear weapons could be used. In the event of an attack with nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, take cover in the same way as in an air attack.”

“Shelter provides the best protection. After a couple of days, the radiation has decreased significantly.”

“If Sweden is attacked by another country, we will never give up. All information to the effect that resistance is to cease is false.”

The Swedes are not alone. Norway and Finland are doing the same thing, preparing their populations for nuclear war.

Finland has launched a new website advising people on how to prepare, and the Norwegians recently mailed out their own booklet giving people tips on how to prepare for the end of the world. The Norwegian booklet includes advice on how citizens should prepare themselves to live self-sufficiently for a week, with a list of long-life items to keep such as cans of beans, energy bars and pasta, and medicines in case of a nuclear event.

The Finnish website includes detailed instructions on how Finns should react in the event of war:

“The warning signal is a regularly rising and falling sound that lasts for one minute used to warn people of an immediate outdoor hazard.

In the event of a war, the signal is used to alert people about incidents as well as air strikes, for example.

In case of a military attack, you must immediately seek shelter in the nearest civil defence shelter or the best available shelter.”

The website also provides detailed guidance on how to try to continue to live in an area that has been irradiated.

“Prepare for a radiation hazard as follows:

Learn the steps to seek shelter indoors and how to carry them out at home. Also learn them together with family members.

Learn how to switch off ventilation at home.

Make sure you have durable tape at home that you can use to seal off windows, doors and other areas with air flow.

Know which communication channels are used: the 112 application, television, radio and the websites of the authorities

Buy medicine iodine tablets at home according to the recommendation.”

The Germans are making their own preparations for the coming apocalypse. The German military is now advising companies on something called Operations Plan Germany. The paper is a thousand pages long and classified, but details have begun to leak publicly. For example, it lists all buildings and infrastructure facilities to be protected for national security reasons. It also provides significant detail on how Germany will transport hundreds of thousands of soldiers east to engage with Russian forces.

In Prague, a network of Cold War-era bunkers has now seen renewed interest. A spokeswoman from the Czech Republic's Fire Rescue Service told RFE/RL recently that, beginning in 2023, the service began updating "requirements for the shelter system and the shelters themselves." She did not elaborate on what those updates were.

Meanwhile, wasting no time after Biden’s approval of the use of American-made ballistic missiles against targets deep into Russian territory, Ukraine attacked a military installation in Russia’s western Bryansk region. "For the first time, Ukraine's Defense Forces struck Russian territory with ATACMS ballistic missiles." 

Putin, for his part, made good on his pledge to respond. He signed a decree updating and expanding Moscow's nuclear doctrine to allow for the use of atomic weapons in case of an attack on Russia by a nonnuclear actor that is backed by a nuclear power. The updated doctrine says Russia would consider using nuclear weapons after receiving “reliable information about the launching of a massive attack against it and missiles crossing the Russian border."

Lest anyone think that the prospect of a Russian nuclear attack on Europe is purely the stuff of science fiction, we should recall that secret documents obtained earlier this year by the Financial Times revealed an extensive Russian plan to target strategic sites deep inside Europe with nuclear missiles. This plan was part of a broader strategy to overwhelm NATO forces and win a conflict with the alliance. The documents included maps of targets in countries such as the United Kingdom and France.

The Europeans understand exactly what is happening and are bracing for what may now be inevitable. Joe and Kamala, and whoever advises them, are shoveling more fuel on the fire and doing their level best to start a world war as they head for the door.