Sweden is stepping up its defense activities in the Baltic Sea region due to what a high-ranking official called “a deteriorating security situation” as Russia and NATO conduct military operations in the area. The Swedish armed forces said Tuesday that they initiated a “high-readiness action” in the southeastern and southern Baltic Sea due to the “current, extensive military activity” in the region. Sweden is not a member of NATO. The armed forces gave no details about the deployment but said the goal “is to strengthen maritime surveillance in the Baltic Sea at sea and from the air.” The Baltic News Service reported Tuesday that four Russian naval ships were detected near Latvian territorial waters. Two frigates from a multinational NATO maritime force were to visit the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda, the news service reported Monday. “Extensive military operations are underway in the Baltic Sea region, both from Russia and the West, in a way that in some parts has not been experienced since the days of the Cold War,” Chief of Joint Operations Vice Adm. Jan Thornqvist said. In a statement, he said it was the Swedish armed forces’ assessment “that the risk of a military attack on Sweden is currently low, but the unpredictable security situation in our immediate area places high demands on our accessibility and preparedness.”