The first country to be attacked by land by Russia in the event of a nuclear war. “It's a scenario we're preparing for”

In the event of a nuclear war, Russia could focus its first ground attack in order to protect its nuclear capabilities, which would mean occupying some territories in Norway, said Eirik Kristoffersen, the head of the Norwegian army, in an interview with The Guardian.

Eirik Kristoffersen said Norway could not rule out the possibility of a Russian invasion of the country, suggesting Moscow could attack to protect its nuclear facilities in the Far North.

“We do not rule out the occupation of territories by Russia as part of their plan to protect their own nuclear capabilities, which are the only thing they have left to threaten the United States,” the Norwegian general said.

Kristoffersen said that Russia's conquest goals in Norway are not of the same nature as in Ukraine or other former Soviet territories, but a large part of Russia's nuclear arsenal is located on the Kola Peninsula, a short distance from the Norwegian border. These include nuclear submarines, surface-launched missiles and aircraft capable of launching nuclear bombs. These would be of crucial importance should Russia come into conflict with NATO.

Regular contacts with the Russian military

“We don't rule it out because it's an option for Russia to do it to make sure the nuclear arsenal, the second-strike capabilities, are protected. It's the scenario we're preparing for in the far north,” General Kristoffersen said.

Kristoffersen has been the head of the army since 2020, a period in which the invasion of Ukraine caused a rethinking of European security. Sweden and Finland joined NATO, and Norway strengthened its defenses in the strip of territory on the border with Russia. “If you prepare for the worst, you are better able to counter sabotage and other hybrid threats,” the general said.

On the other hand, Norway and Russia have maintained direct contacts regarding rescue missions in the Barents Sea and there are regular border meetings between representatives of the two militaries. The general recommended the installation of a direct line of communication between the two capitals to avoid escalating the situation due to misunderstandings of the situation on one side or the other, even if Russia's actions in the area were less aggressive than those in the Baltic Sea.

“Until now, the airspace violations have been misunderstandings. Russia is doing jamming activities, and we believe that the jamming is also affecting their planes. They haven't said that, but we see that the violations are usually due to the inexperience of the pilots. When we talk to the Russians, they respond in a very professional and predictable manner,” said Eirik Kristoffersen.

Regarding the Norwegian-controlled but Russian-settled Svalbard islands, Kristoffersen said Norway abides by the 1920 treaty, which does not allow militarization of the island. Moscow has accused Oslo of doing this covertly, but Kristoffersen believes it's just propaganda that the Russians don't believe either.