Norway Holds Military Drills Near Russia border

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Norway starts military drills amid tensions between the West and Russia over the Ukrainian crisis and despite Moscow repeatedly condemning NATO exercises and military buildup toward its borders.

Press TV reports: Norway has started massive military exercises, involving 5,000 servicemen, in the northern parts of the country near the border with Russia, the largest such drills in nearly 50 years.

The country’s military launched drills dubbed “Joint Viking” on Monday in the northern regions of Lakselv and Alta in the Finnmark County, which border Russia’s Murmansk region.

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The exercises will include the Norwegian army, navy, air force and civil defense troops (Heimevernet).

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Aleksander Jankov, a spokesman for the Norwegian Armed Forces, said 400 military vehicles and all types of weapons will be used in the drills, which are the largest to take place in the region since 1967.

According to Norwegian media, the massive exercise is to show that Norway has the ability to defend Finnmark.

Prior to the kickoff army spokesman Vegar Gystad said, “If we’re to have a credible defense that can defend the entire country, we also have to train in the entire country.”