Russia announced on Wednesday that it views Norway’s work with other North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries as provocative, and warned that Norway’s efforts to strengthen its military in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this year are likely to be the death knell for future relations between Oslo and Moscow .
“Oslo is now among the most active supporters of NATO’s engagement in the Arctic,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, according to TASS. “We view such developments near Russia’s borders as Oslo’s deliberate embarkation on a destructive course towards an escalation of tensions in the Euro-Arctic region and the ultimate destruction of Russian-Norwegian relations.”
In her statement, Zakharova also warned that any further “unfriendly actions will be followed by a timely and appropriate response.”
News of Russia’s complaints about Norway comes just a day after Norway raised its military alert level in response to suspicious drone sightings. Norway has arrested several Russians, including a son of an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and accused them of illegally flying drones in Norwegian airspace or taking photos in restricted areas amid many concerns about possible Russian attacks on critical infrastructure. According to Norwegian broadcaster NRK, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre warned Russia to halt it.
NATO countries should be wary of Russia’s aggression amid the war in Ukraine, Støre warned Monday.
“Today we have no reason to believe that Russia wants to involve Norway or any other country directly in the war,” Støre said. “But the war in Ukraine is forcing all NATO countries to be more vigilant.”
Norway has previously hosted exercises and has long hosted rotational deployments of US troops for Arctic training. Russia’s announcement comes weeks after the US Air Force participated in an Arctic integration training exercise with NATO allies and the Royal Norwegian Air Force at Norway’s main air station Ørland, according to the US Department of Defense. Allies worked to operate rapidly across weapons platforms and systems to try to deter Russia along NATO’s eastern flank.
“The sum is that together we can better defend not only Norway and the Nordic countries, but also Europe, should the need arise,” Colonel Martin Tesli, the commander of the 132nd Air Force Base, said in a statement.
The US Air Force’s 90th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron deployed for the exercise was also able to work with the Air Force from Finland, which is in the process of joining NATO in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow’s warning appeared to be just the latest Russian attempt to impose its own narrative as its relations with countries across Europe and the West continue to deteriorate.
It is not the first time that Russia has tried to raise red flags over what it sees as provocative action by European countries and NATO cooperation. Moscow warned before its invasion of Ukraine this year that it sees the expansion of NATO members – formed to counter threats from the Soviet Union – as a threat to Russia. The Kremlin has claimed that Ukraine’s interest in joining the military alliance poses a threat to Russia, a claim it has repeated in recent days.
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and European nations is “the most serious security situation we have seen in several decades,” Støre said.
Norway has been working to help Ukraine defend against Russian invasion since the beginning of the war. The country has sanctioned the Russian government to pressure Moscow into withdrawing from the war and has provided military aid to Ukraine. The support includes an air defense system, Mistral surface-to-air missiles, thousands of anti-tank missiles, protective equipment such as bulletproof vests and helmets, and armored vehicles.
Oslo has also tried to increase its military budget. Just last month, Norway proposed increasing its defense budget by nearly 10 percent for next year, according to Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram. Part of the increase is earmarked for weapons to defend Ukraine against Russia.
“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is a threat to the security of Norway and Europe. The war has already had major security, economic and humanitarian consequences,” said Gram. “The need for military support to Ukraine is necessary, comprehensive and timely. This budget strengthens the armed forces and champions Ukraine.”
Norway, alongside Britain, is also helping to train Ukrainian soldiers and has pledged to provide over $1.1 billion (in USD) in financial assistance to Ukraine over the next two years.
Norway is not the only nation against which Russia has been protesting in recent days. Late last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Moscow sees no point in maintaining large-scale diplomatic relations with Western countries.
Lavrov noted that Russia would rather focus its world diplomacy on countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia than cooperate with the West.
“We will shift the ‘focus’ to countries that are willing to cooperate with us on equal and mutually beneficial terms and look for promising joint projects,” Lavrov said.