Whiskey on the Rocks . Cold War . inspired by true events

27 days ago
9

In the midst of the Cold War, a Soviet submarine runs aground off Karlskrona and suddenly Sweden is at the center of the action. Prime Minister Thorbjörn Fälldin tries to resolve the conflict and prevent a world war between two nuclear powers, while simultaneously battling a wise foreign minister and a warlike commander-in-chief. Whiskey on the Rocks is inspired by true events. /1.Episode
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Reality-based
Miniseries
Swedish drama
Swedish series
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"Sweden discovers Russian submarine"
This is not the first time that a foreign underwater vehicle has been moored in Swedish waters – a Soviet submarine stranded there 33 years ago.
Nouveau journal zurichois > October 22, 2014 , https://www.nzz.ch/international/das-historische-bild/schweden-entdeckt-russisches-u-boot-ld.854028
It is almost 33 years ago to the day that a foreign underwater vehicle was discovered on Swedish territory. Fisherman Ivar Svensson, who lives on the archipelago island of Sturkö in the east of the archipelago of Karlskrona, notices a stranded underwater vehicle on the evening of October 27, 1981. About 35 meters from the beach, it lies in the water, unable to maneuver. He informs the coast guard, which initially doubts the find; after all, the said waters near Gasefjärden, 30 kilometers outside the city center of Karlskrona, are considered difficult to navigate. On site, the security forces then determine that it is indeed a Soviet submarine. The site is secured and the 56-man crew is questioned several times. In the end, however, the government decides to release the submarine and crew.

Fundamental debate triggered
The incident quickly developed into the "submarine affair" and sparked a social discussion about relations with Russia and Swedish neutrality during the Cold War. The Soviet Union denies that the submarine intentionally entered Swedish waters, stating that it was simply a navigational error. Russia continues to this argumentation to this day.

The Swedish Navy responds with patrols, electronic surveillance and lays mines. Sweden's Defense Minister Torsten Gustafsson describes the mere presence of U-137 as the "most flagrant violation of Swedish territorial waters since World War II." It remains unclear how the boat could have remained undetected by the Swedish Coast Guard and radar.

Other submarines
Within Sweden, voices are raised claiming that the Soviet Union wanted to spy on the Swedish defense line with U-137. The coast guard had also measured a high dose of radiation on board the submarine, which raised the question of whether the boat was equipped with nuclear weapons.

U-137 was not to remain an isolated case: In the following years until the collapse of the Soviet Union, foreign underwater vehicles repeatedly invaded Swedish waters and were pursued with underwater bombs.

Rumors arise that the submarines belong to NATO; the Swedish government had secretly granted the defense alliance access to Swedish waters, which would mean a breach of Swedish neutrality.

Inspiration for play
To this day, the "submarine affair" is remembered by many Swedes and is symbolic of the Cold War. The Swedish author Henning Mankell has written a novel and a play based on the events of 1982 and 1983. He considers the submarine affair to be one of the most important domestic political events in recent years.

This also explains why Sweden is reacting to the recent suspicion of an unknown underwater vehicle with intensive search operations. The memory of U-137 is deeply rooted in many citizens.
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(QF:
only supporting subtitles/Christmas mode/technology on a well-deserved holiday/ RUM continues long!)

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