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The Old Country Newsletter – JAS Gripen & Miracle Mjällby
Your Weekly Newsletter from Sweden!
Philip Hannes
October 24, 2025
Good morning!
It’s Friday, October 24.
This week, the world witnessed an unexpected trio — the Swedish Prime Minister, the Ukrainian President, and astronaut Marcus Wandt — all smiling at the camera from the cockpit of a JAS Gripen fighter jet.
Speaking of surprising collaborations: the much less famous duo, Philip and Hannes, are reuniting today! For the first time in nearly a decade, we live in different landskap (provinces). But this weekend, we’ll make up for lost time, whilst exploring the deep forests of Västergötland in search of wild boar.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Philip & Hannes
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Word of the week
ELDSJÄL [ELD-shael]
dedicated, passionate person; community volunteer.
Mjällby’s Miracle: Tiny Club from Hällevik Stuns Sweden with Historic Championship Win
Attribution: SvD
Mjällby AIF have pulled off what many are calling the biggest upset in Swedish football history. The small club from the southern coast clinched their first-ever Allsvenskan title on Monday night with a 2–0 win away against IFK Göteborg — sealing a fairytale season that has captivated the nation.
The breakthrough came early: striker Jacob Bergström scored a spectacular bicycle kick from close range in the 21st minute, before former Göteborg player Tom Pettersson doubled the lead just minutes later. Mjällby never looked back, controlling the match until the final whistle as their traveling fans erupted in disbelief and joy. “Now I can die happy,” Bergström told SVT Sport after the game.
The title marks the first Swedish championship in Mjällby’s 85-year history — and few could have predicted it. The club, whose home town of Hällevik has fewer than 1,500 residents, went on a stunning 19-match unbeaten streak and lost only once in 27 rounds. “It’s incredibly impressive,” said SVT expert Magnus Eriksson. “With that consistency, they deserve the gold.”
Across Europe, media outlets have joined the chorus of praise. Spain’s Marca called Mjällby’s triumph a story that “broke every football rule,” while Germany’s Bild described it as “football madness in the north” and Belgium’s Le Soir hailed it as “the miracle in Sweden.”
SVT pundit Jonas Eriksson summed it up best: “In a hundred years of Allsvenskan history, I can hardly imagine we’ve seen a bigger shock.” Next season, the fairytale continues — with Mjällby set to qualify for the Champions League.
Postcard from the North
Nimis, Kullahalvön
In other news
⚽ English football coach Graham Potter has been appointed as Sweden’s new national team manager for the men’s team, marking his return to the country where his coaching career began. In his first press conference, he expressed deep affection for Sweden, calling it “a country I love” and saying it was an honor to help lead the team to the World Cup. Potter, who coached Östersund from 2011 to 2018, said his years in Sweden shaped him as a coach and person, while the Swedish Football Association praised his understanding of Swedish football and shared vision for the team’s future.
🚬 More than half of young Swedes believe that alcohol is more dangerous than cannabis, according to a new survey by Verian for SVT. Among respondents aged 18–29, 51% consider alcohol more harmful, while most older Swedes (30–79) see cannabis as the greater danger. Researchers agree with the younger group’s assessment that alcohol causes more harm overall—but experts still warn that legalizing cannabis would be a serious mistake.
❌ Several Swedish members of parliament have spoken out about the threats and harassment they face because of their political work. Sweden Democrat Tobias Andersson described fleeing from a mob that allegedly wanted to attack him for his views, while Green Party MP Annika Hirvonen said far-right media once surveilled her home and spread false rumors. Center Party MP Alireza Akhondi said he regularly receives death threats, which he believes originate from Iran.
Ukraine Eyes Massive Gripen Deal with Sweden Amid Renewed Russian Strikes
Attribution: Sveriges Radio
Sweden and Ukraine have signed a declaration of intent that could see Kyiv purchase up to 150 Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets — a deal described by both nations as “the beginning of a long journey.” The announcement came Wednesday during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Linköping, home to Saab’s aircraft production line.
Standing beside Zelenskyy, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson confirmed that the potential sale involves the new Gripen E model, calling it a historic opportunity for both nations. “This means great possibilities for Ukraine’s future air force, for Sweden and our defense industry, and for a long-term industrial partnership,” Kristersson said. The deal, still in exploratory stages, would mark one of Sweden’s largest defense exports ever.
Zelenskyy praised the aircraft as “fantastic,” saying Ukraine hopes to acquire at least 100 planes as part of rebuilding its air defense after years of Russian bombardment. “We understand this is a long process — economically and logistically,” he added. Funding could come in part from frozen Russian assets within the EU, an idea Kristersson confirmed was being discussed.
Both Kristersson and Defense Minister Pål Jonson said the first jets could reach Ukraine within three years, pending agreements on training, production capacity, and financing.
The meeting came just hours after another wave of Russian missile strikes hit Ukraine’s power grid and residential areas, leaving multiple dead — including children in Kharkiv, where a preschool was struck. “This is brutality without limits,” Kristersson said.
Zelenskyy’s visit, attended by several Swedish ministers, underscored the growing partnership between Stockholm and Kyiv — one built on shared urgency and defiance in the face of Russia’s ongoing war.
Swede-ish Notes
Attribution: Göteborgsposten
Ten Years Since the School Attack in Trollhättan
This Wednesday marked ten years since the horrific school attack in Trollhättan — one of the darkest days in modern Swedish history. On October 22, 2015, a masked man armed with a sword entered Kronan School, targeting students and staff with immigrant backgrounds. Three people were killed before police shot the attacker. The motive was clear: racist hatred.
For survivors like Wahed Kosa, then fifteen, the memory remains raw. “I was sure I was going to die,” he told SVT this week. A decade later, he has built a life in Sweden, running a small pizzeria north of Trollhättan. Yet says he will never feel completely safe. “A racist will always see that I’m an immigrant.”
The attack was Sweden’s first deadly school assault of its kind, long before the more recent tragedy in Örebro. It forced the country to confront something it rarely associates with itself: ideologically motivated violence at home. In its aftermath, Sweden promised to learn – to strengthen security, to fight extremism, to talk more openly about alienation and hate.
And yet, as former principal Djeno Mahic points out, the roots of such violence often lie not just in ideology, but in loneliness and exclusion. He argues that what schools truly need isn’t more barriers, but more adults; people who notice, who listen, who care.
Ten years on, Trollhättan remains both a scar that will never heal and a warning. It reminds Swedes that the nation’s calm self-image is not a guarantee against hate — and that the work of building trust, belonging, and safety never really ends.