Sweden: Hikers find live Nazi grenade from World War II near ski resort

Mountain hikers discovered a live World War II grenade one kilometre from the lift system at Riksgränsen, a major ski resort in Norrbotten County. The German grenade, which measured 33 centimetres in length and eight centimetres in diameter, was discovered between two stones on the Swedish-Norwegian border. Following the hikers' alert, police and military professionals were soon deployed.

“We blew it up right there on the spot; there's no need to take any chances. It was live and fully loaded,” according to Captain Robert Eriksson of the Swedish Armed Forces group for explosive ordnance disposal, Sputnik reported.

According to Eriksson, an 800-meter risk zone was established up ahead of the incident, and a police helicopter was employed.

“It was a real bang, but you don't notice much after that. With ancient, environmentally damaged ammunition that has been hanging about for a long time, you never know how sensitive it is,” Eriksson added, as per Sputnik reports.

Riksgränsen is Sweden's northernmost ski resort, situated 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, and is known for its midnight sun lifts in May and June.

Sweden was infamous for maintaining a policy of neutrality during World War II

During World War II, Sweden maintained its neutrality. Sweden's fate was unknown when the war broke out on September 1, 1939. Sweden maintained its official neutrality status throughout the war due to a combination of its geographical placement in the Scandinavian Peninsula, realpolitik manoeuvring during an unpredictable course of events, and a focused military build-up after 1942.

Since the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1814 and the invasion of Norway, Sweden has maintained a neutral attitude in international relations for more than a century. However, Sweden was not attacked directly, during World War II. It was, nevertheless, subjected to naval blockades by the British and Germans, as well as Soviet airstrikes of some cities. Sweden permitted the Wehrmacht to use Swedish rails to quickly transport troops and heavy weapons from Norway to Finland during the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. Furthermore, throughout the conflict, iron ore was sold to Nazi Germany. Sweden "ignored the greater moral issues of the war and played both sides for profit," as Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister at the time, put it.

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