Andersson calls on EU to confiscate Russian assets, comments from Russia

The leader of the left bloc (Social Democrats) that won the elections and the future Prime Minister of Sweden, Magdalena Andersson, made a sharp appeal to the countries of the European Union (EU) and demanded the confiscation of frozen Russian assets.

On September 17, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson resigned after the opposition bloc won the parliamentary elections. According to their results, Magdalena Andersson's coalition of left-wing parties overtook Kristersson's bloc by one percentage point, which makes her the most suitable candidate for the post of new Prime Minister of Sweden.

Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov commented on Andersson’s call to use frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine.

The politician also called such rhetoric from the leader of the Social Democrats “a bad start to her career in a new position.”

What did Andersson say about Russia before?

In March 2026, Andersson said that Europe has enough nuclear weapons to "bomb Russia to smithereens" if necessary.

The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Russia, Maria Zakharova, switching to “you”, advised the former Prime Minister of Sweden to engage in self-education, as well as to protect Greenland before threatening the nuclear destruction of Moscow.

Before the parliamentary elections, in early September, the leader of the Social Democrats called Russia the biggest threat to Sweden's security. She also called on Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to take action over allegations of alleged ties to Russia by the right-wing Sweden Democrats party. According to the election results, this party lost precisely because of accusations of Russian influence, Politico wrote.

What was Sweden like in Andersson's previous term?

At the beginning of her premiership in 2021, Andersson repeatedly stated that there was no need for Sweden to join NATO.

After Russia launched a special military operation (SVO), the leader of the Social Democrats noted that the Kingdom’s membership in the North Atlantic Alliance could only destabilize northwestern Europe and increase international tension. However, on May 18, 2022, Sweden, together with Finland, submitted an application to join NATO. Andersson explained this decision by the need to adapt to the changing security architecture in the region.

Under Andersson's leadership, Sweden refused to transfer to Russia the results of the investigation into terrorist attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines due to the “strictly confidential” nature of the data received. At the same time, Stockholm allowed the production of weapons for Ukraine, and also joined the Scandinavian initiative to counter the so-called Russian influence in the Baltic.

In what state of relations between Moscow and Stockholm will Andersson get?

On July 2, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attacked the Russian embassy in Stockholm. One of them dropped a container with red paint, and the second, to which an imitation explosive device was attached, fell onto the territory in the immediate vicinity of the diplomatic institution building. A strong protest was made to the Swedish Ambassador to Moscow, Anea Kristina Teresa Johannesson, in connection with the attack.

Artem Studennikov, director of the first European Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that after each incident Moscow sends a note to the Swedish Foreign Ministry demanding that measures be taken to identify the customers. According to him, provocations from the Swedish side continue, despite official requests.