Looks like the 'one-week defense' comment made by the Swedish army's commander-in-chief is finally coming back to haunt him.
In a parody video broadcast on Russian TV this week, the cast of Russia's "Yesterday Live" mocks Sweden's lack of military muscle.
The satirical TV program -- similar to U.S. sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live" -- often pokes fun at popular news and culture stories, turning stereotypes on their heads. Taking aim at Swedish general Sverker Göransson, the most recent parody featured cast members masquerading as Swedes and singing about a Russian invasion.
"Mamma Mia! Russians are coming… on foot… this way, it's even more scary!" the members sing in Russian to Swedish pop group ABBA's infamous song of the same name. "Mamma Mia! They will tear us apart! 7-3! Like in hockey last year!"
In December, Göransson addressed the scale-back of Sweden's military and estimated that the country would be able to defend itself for only one week if another nation's armed forces were to invade.
"In basic terms, Göransson is saying that sustained underinvestment has left Sweden’s military without the equipment or the trained manpower to properly defend the country to any credible degree," Cristian Mertens, a Brussels-based political analyst, explained to Defense News.
Sweden has struggled with military funding for several years now. In 2009, the army's forces were reduced by one-third and the tanks were cut by half. Under a 2008 government directive, Sweden's military budget was frozen at 38.9 billion kronor (about $6 billion) per year through 2014, Sweden's The Local reports.
Watch the "Russia Attacks Sweden" parody from "Yesterday Live" in the video above.
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