Norway plans mass evacuation drills near Russian border
According to the Norwegian TV station TV 2 website, the Norwegian government is planning mass evacuation exercises in the northern parts of the country, specifically in the regions of Troms and Finnmark, which are closest to the Russian border.
Toralf Heimdal, the mayor of the town of Bardu in northern Norway, highlights the seriousness of the threat posed by Russia's potential brutality towards civilians during an occupation.
Heimdal emphasized that no Norwegian should end up on the wrong side of the occupation line.
The planned exercises are scheduled to occur during the NATO Cold Response manoeuvres in 2026. Until now, foreign NATO forces were not allowed to exercise in the eastern part of the Finnmark region to avoid provoking Russia. However, TV 2 reports that changes in defence strategy, including the establishment of a new brigade in Finnmark and a new NATO command in northern Finland, may alter this situation.
Support for the initiative
Jørn Qviller, head of land defence in Finnmark, supports the evacuation exercises initiative. He emphasizes the vital role of training in preparedness and civil defence and says it is worth supporting.
TV 2 notes that neighbouring Finland has already involved more significant parts of its civilian population in similar exercises.
The need for planning
Magnus Mæland, the mayor of Sør-Varanger municipality, which directly borders Russia, also recognises the need for evacuation planning. - There is a difficult security situation in the region. He stresses that this is an issue for the Finnmark region and the entire country.
Kristine Kallset, State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice and Preparedness, reports that the government is already developing new evacuation plans. The Total Preparedness Plan presented in January proposed a series of actions to increase resilience to crises, explains Kallset. The priority is the Finnmark region, particularly its eastern part.
