Russian troops will carry out joint military operations in Sweden with the Swedish army in the upcoming winter months, Radio Sweden reported on Tuesday.

The announcement came after a meeting in Moscow between Swedish Defense Minister Leni Bjoerklund and her Russian counterpart Sergei Ivanov. The operation, called Snowflake, will be the first time that Russian troops carry out joint exercises in Sweden.

There will be also direct contacts between Russian forces from Kaliningrad, the Baltic coastal enclave between Poland and Lithuania, and ground forces from southern Sweden, starting next year, according to the report.

The two ministers also discussed cooperation on ecological issues in the Baltic Sea, including making Russian military bases near St. Petersburg more envirornmentally-friendly, and naval training exercises for rescuing submarines.

The move reflects post-Cold War relations. It's been almost two hundred years since the last time Sweden was in a war, but there are still stories told about the 1719 Russian invasion just north of Stockholm, the Swedish radio said.

Source: Xinhua