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🇸🇪 Sweden /Elections & Politics

Swedish justice minister calls allegations about SD staffer “very serious”

From Svenska Dagbladet · () Swedish

Translated from Swedish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said allegations about a Sweden Democrats staffer’s pro-Russian views would be “very serious” if confirmed.
  • An Expo investigation said the staffer shared Russian state narratives, pro-Putin content and conspiracy theories online between 2015 and 2025.
  • Strömmer urged the Sweden Democrats to remove the staffer if the allegations prove accurate, while Expo said the party had not answered whether the employee underwent a security review.

Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer has demanded action from the Sweden Democrats after an investigation accused a parliamentary staffer of repeatedly sharing pro-Russian material.

“If they are true, it is very serious,” Strömmer said in a written comment responding to the findings from Expo. He pointed to Russia as Sweden’s greatest security policy threat and said, “Pro-Russian views have no place in parties that want to take responsibility for Sweden.”

If they are true, it is very serious.

· Gunnar StrömmerThe Swedish justice minister reacted to allegations about a Sweden Democrats parliamentary staffer.

Strömmer said the Sweden Democrats had supported Sweden’s backing for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. But he argued that the staffer’s alleged views could still create uncertainty about the party’s position. “If the allegations about this employee are true, SD must of course act and ensure that the employee leaves their job,” he said.

Pro-Russian views have no place in parties that want to take responsibility for Sweden.

· Gunnar StrömmerStrömmer said the party should act if the allegations about its employee are confirmed.

According to Expo’s investigation, the staffer moved from Russia to Sweden in 2006. Between 2015 and 2017, the person shared articles and posts carrying narratives from Russian state bodies, the state-controlled broadcaster RT and channels known for Russian propaganda and disinformation.

The staffer also shared a song praising Russian President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by heart emojis and the comment, “People sing about their love for the president.” Expo said the person continued sharing pro-Russian content as recently as 2024 and 2025 and had previously spread conspiracy theories.

People sing about their love for the president.

· The parliamentary stafferThe comment accompanied a social media post sharing a song praising Vladimir Putin.

Patrik Oksanen, a foreign and security policy expert at the Free World Forum think tank, said the person had helped “normalize the Russian perspective, create polarization and, among other things, undermine confidence in Swedish media.” Expo said the Sweden Democrats had not responded to questions about whether the staffer underwent a security review before being hired.

normalize the Russian perspective, create polarization and, among other things, undermine confidence in Swedish media

· Patrik OksanenOksanen assessed the alleged impact of the staffer’s online activity.
About this summary

Originally published by Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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