Ukrainian soldiers will now be trained on Norwegian soil – news Trøndelag

– We are grateful to participate and contribute to this important and tragic event – and to join and do our small part. This is what Jens Christian Junge, the head of Trøndelag Home Guard District 12, says to news. He has just welcomed the 100 Ukrainian soldiers who came to Norway on Monday. – It is important that Norway does its part At the Home Guard’s facility in Trøndelag, Ukrainian soldiers will be trained in sanitation, sharpshooting and team building on Norwegian soil. The Home Guard divides the Ukrainian soldiers into three different pools. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news – Ukraine needs more and better trained soldiers to fight the Russian invasion forces. In addition, they need to increase their competence in several professional fields. It is important that Norway takes its share of this training and contributes where we can, writes Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) in an e-mail to news. Around 100 soldiers in civilian clothes landed at Værnes today. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news The plan is for seven contingents of Ukrainian soldiers to participate in such training during 2023. At the same time, the Home Guard is prepared to continue next year as well. They will now be in Norway for four weeks, before the instructors get a week off and a new contingent arrives. Experience from the front In civilian clothes, they were welcomed at Værnes Airport around 1.30pm today. – There are people from both the navy, the National Guard, the army and the air force who have been picked from the front, sent back to Kyiv and on to Norway to take a professional education. Jens Christian Junge explains that. Jens Christian Junge, head of HV12. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news The operation is called Gungne, after Odin’s spear in Norse mythology. They are further divided into pools for a three-part training. Half of the soldiers will be further trained as team leaders, while the rest will be sharpshooters and sanitary soldiers. – We are not quite sure what background they have, but we have received a message that they have a military background. They have a rotation in Ukraine where they are forward towards the front for a period, then back and then forward again. We assume they have experience from the front. The Ukrainian soldiers were welcomed at Værnes Airport. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news – In Great Britain there is recruit training, this is further training. They come straight from Ukraine, explains Junge. In the past, Norwegian Home Guard soldiers have provided training in basic soldiering skills to Ukrainians in England. – This training is in addition to, and will complement, the other training initiatives Norway contributes to. The training in Norway will strengthen the overall training effort and will be well received by both Ukraine and our allies, writes the Minister of Defence. – Norway is now contributing to Ukrainian soldiers gaining higher competence. With this, we also increase the total number of soldiers western countries train.



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