Major maneuvers in the Arctic: Norway’s “cold response”

Norway has a border with Russia that is almost 200 kilometers long. The once good neighborhood has given way to tense observation. And NATO has recognized that the Arctic region must be protected militarily.

Two pairs of shoes, a snow suit and then waterproof camouflage clothing over it again. Emilie Engelien needs particularly warm clothing for her service. The 21-year-old Norwegian does her military service hundreds of kilometers above the Arctic Circle. For a few months she has been a border guard on Norway’s border with Russia. Her machine gun is always there on patrol. “If an alarm goes off, we have to be ready in five minutes,” she says.

With their snow scooters, their unit starts the patrol from the Pasvik border post. In the very north-east of Norway, it goes many kilometers along the Norwegian-Russian border, past the Russian mining town of Nikel and the sentries on the other side.

At around 200 kilometers, Norway has a comparatively short border with Russia. And yet they also feel here that something has changed since the war in Ukraine. “It’s very special up here because we’re so extremely close to Russia,” says Emilie. “We monitor the border and make sure that there are no illegal crossings. We show presence – and that we are always ready.”

Lively exchange – soon over?

So far, things have remained quiet in the no man’s land between Norway and Russia. Things are different in the border town of Kirkenes. Three and a half thousand people live here near the Barents Sea. The big neighbor is so close here that many street signs are bilingual. In the 1980s they built a large shipyard. The Cold War was over and the signs pointed to relaxation. Business has been great for many years.

The large Russian fishing trawlers from the North Sea still come here for repairs to this day. The Kimek shipyard is the most important employer in the area. But the sanctions intended to hit Russian President Vladimir Putin and his regime are also hitting Norwegian shipyard boss Greger Mannsverk.

Since Russia closed SWIFT, his Russian customers can no longer pay, he says, pointing to a huge ship in the shipyard. “This ship is supposed to leave the port in two days. Then a new one is supposed to come. But we don’t know whether the Russian customer can transfer the down payment at all.”

Around 100 people work in the shipyard. The order books are well filled. And yet they are threatened with dismissal. Not only the ships come from Murmansk, many Russian workers have also moved to Norway because the job prospects are better here. They somehow got through two years of the pandemic, they say – but the sanctions against Russia could now make the lights go out here.

The government promises help

Norway’s Economics Minister, Jan Christian Vestre, has already come twice from Oslo to the border city to talk to the big employers. They are demanding support from the Norwegian state. And Vestre promises help. The situation is “dramatic,” he said: “The companies here make a large part of their sales with Russian customers. It is also important from a security policy point of view that jobs and people stay here in the border region. That’s another reason why the government has decided on special financial aid.” Shipyard boss Greger and the other entrepreneurs should be able to get credit more easily and thus bridge the crisis for a while.

Soldiers from 27 nations are taking part in NATO’s “Cold Response” maneuvers – the alliance attaches growing strategic importance to the region.

Image: ARD Stockholm

In Norway, people are not only worried about their economy: the security situation in the Arctic region has also changed abruptly as a result of the war in Ukraine. In the fjords in the west of the country, they train to defend the country every two years. But this time the major maneuver “Cold Response” – in German “cold response” – falls at the time of the NATO-Russia conflict. A total of 30,000 soldiers practice the defense case; about 800 kilometers from Russia.

The Norwegian border town of Kirkenes lies north of the Arctic Circle.

The struggle for the Arctic has long since begun

Rear Admiral Rune Andersen joined the Navy when the tide was easing. There were even joint exercises with the Russians. Everything is different now: “This is a completely new situation for me too. It also brings us into a completely new era in European security policy,” he says. “It is right and important that several NATO member countries such as Norway and Germany are strengthening their military. It is also important that we cooperate even more in the future.”

The Arctic is rich in raw materials. And the fight for her has long since begun. Russia makes claims and shows military presence. That’s another reason why Norway and its partners want to flex their muscles here.

Parents’ worries

Border guard Emilie Engelien often has to face questions from her family in Oslo as to why she chose this corner of Norway. “My family doesn’t think it’s really safe here. Of course, they’re also concerned about the Ukraine war. They keep asking how I’m doing. But I always tell them that everything’s fine.”

Your military service would actually be over in a few weeks. But Engelien has extended it again by half a year. Times are just too exciting up here.

You can see this and other reports in the Weltspiegel – on Sunday at 7:15 p.m. in the first.