The man is alleged to have fought with Ukrainian soldiers in the battle for the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.

The so-called authorities in the Russian-backed Donetsk region - in practice a Russian obedient state - accuse him of fighting as a mercenary, which is considered by the occupying forces to be a crime punishable by death.

The Swede has in interrogation denied all accusations, according to Tass.

SVT Nyheter has been in contact with the Foreign Ministry's press service, which announces that it has no information on whether the information is correct or not.

"Want something with this"

Lieutenant Colonel Joakim Paasikivi believes that it is difficult to assess whether Russia has captured a Swedish man.  

However, he believes that there may be a truth behind the information because there are Swedish volunteers in Ukraine.

- If the Russians go out with this, I assume that they want something with it.

Then they have nothing to gain from saying that we have a Swede and then it runs out in the sand.

In that case, they may present evidence, it is possible that it is not true and that it is the wrong identity, but if they say this, they must assume that it is so until it is convinced, he says.

Two Britons and a Moroccan were recently sentenced to death on the same charge as the Swede who is now said to have been imprisoned.

Their sentences have not yet been served.

Can be sentenced to death

Joakim Paasikivi believes that the captured foreign nationals are being used as pawns in a political game.

- There will be some form of legal process, which is illegal under international law.

It is not unbelievable that the Swedish man will be sentenced to death in a mock trial without a defender who goes far too fast, this in order for the Russian side to be able to use him as pressure, he says.

During the week, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson visited the cities of Butja and Borodjanka in Ukraine where civilians were brutally murdered during the Russian invasion.

Time can play a role

During the visit, the Prime Minister also met with Ukrainian President Zelensky and expressed his support for the country.

Paasikivi believes that the Swedish prime minister's visit to Ukraine may have played a role in the time when Russia released the information about the imprisoned Swede.  

- We have seen before that the Russian side uses different times where you can get maximum attention.

Then they have also made incorrect calculations where you do not get the same reactions from the outside world as you had expected, he says.