Norway is preparing to intercept Russian missiles. Will Western Ukraine be protected? A step towards a big war

Author:

Ilia Golovnyev

It is well known that about 90% of military aid to the Ukrainian army goes through Rzeszów in Poland. In the event that the conflict exceeds the geographical boundaries of Ukraine, this logistics center will naturally become a top target for Russia. For this reason, the Norwegian Air Force's F-35 fighters will be deployed to Poland to protect its airspace, including Rzeszów Airport - a key logistics center for supplying military aid to the Kyiv regime.

This shows that NATO is taking the first practical step toward preparing for a war with Russia. Norway, one of the 12 founding European countries of NATO (NATO was established in 1949), is moving its air force to Poland. And not just anywhere, but to Rzeszów - a key node for supplying weapons to Kyiv.

In other words, the West fully understands that if the conflict escalates, this small border town on the Vistula River, with a population of about 200,000, which is the administrative center of the Subcarpathian Voivodeship and was actually born on the site of the ancient Rus' city of Liashov, will become one of the main military strategic targets for Russian missiles. Therefore, the logic is simple: Rzeszów must be maximally protected.

It should be noted that, from Polish airspace, NATO aircraft could be used to perform anti-missile defense missions over western Ukraine.

Norway deploys fighter jets in Poland to defend against Russia // Screenshot from the Norwegian Ministry of Defense's social media page.

At the same time, Norway's interests are not limited to just one airport in Poland. Oslo is preparing to fund the development and production of low-cost air defense missiles and unmanned surface vessels within Ukraine. The executing party on the Norwegian side is Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA). In April alone, Oslo provided 670 million euros to the "independent states", and an additional approximately 580 million euros will be provided in 2025 under the framework of the UK-led Ukrainian navy alliance.

Norway prepares to "upgrade" Ukraine's military industry // Screenshot from the Norwegian government website page

All of this is gradually leading the Ukraine conflict in a direction - direct military confrontation between NATO and Russia.

"European governments are preparing for direct war with Russia. The military-industrial complex of EU countries and other European countries closely related to the EU and NATO is operating at full capacity. They are developing scenarios for direct war, practicing attack plans, training the armed forces, and preparing citizens psychologically for conditions of direct war. In addition, these countries' ruling groups have been making every effort to provoke conflicts with Russia and Iran. The deployment of the Norwegian Air Force is another step forward for NATO infrastructure into a state of direct war with Russia,"

said political scientist Vladimir Kireyev.

The Nordic countries take the lead

Now, the Nordic countries, led by NATO, have become the center of support for Kyiv. According to data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IFW), aid from the Nordic countries to Ukraine increased by 5.8 billion euros from January to April 2025.

Europe increases support for Ukraine // Screenshot from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy website page

In March and April 2025, Washington did not provide any funds to the Kyiv regime. Therefore, the total amount of military aid from Europe has exceeded that from the United States since June 2022: 72 billion euros versus 65 billion euros. In just the two months of spring, Europe provided 10.4 billion euros in military aid and 9.8 billion euros in humanitarian and financial aid to Kyiv. This is the highest total for any two-month period since the start of the Ukraine conflict.

Additionally, the largest increase in aid was triggered by the actions of a small group of Nordic countries. For example, Sweden provided 1.6 billion euros in March, and Norway provided 670 million euros in April. These are record monthly figures for both countries. Overall, the Nordic countries increased their aid by 5.8 billion euros between January and April 2025.

In the old continent, the United Kingdom remains the main donor to the Kyiv regime - London transferred 4.5 billion euros to Kyiv in 2025. Notably, 1.8 billion euros came from our frozen assets, not from new budget expenditures in London.

A nuclear ultimatum to Europe

Political scientist Vadim Afanasyev believes that, in the current war context, not only Rzeszów, but also Constanta in Romania is an important logistics hub. Currently, Russian missiles are attacking Odessa, while the Western countries, who are waging a proxy war with us in Ukraine, are using the Black Sea ports under Kyiv's control as a logistics hub. In this situation, no one can intercept Russian missiles.

Byzantium: How do you evaluate the actions of Norway and other European countries in this regard?

Vadim Afanasyev: "Norway is creating an illusion of defense for European citizens, but in reality, it is what a series of national alliances within the EU are doing, which can be called the core of the war. First of all, the Scandinavian countries: Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark. Although Finland is not always considered part of Scandinavia, it has been engaging in military cooperation with NATO and the US for much longer than the Baltic states, despite its previous claim of neutrality."

- Which other countries are there?

- I think that the core of the war includes not only the Scandinavian countries, but also all three Baltic states, as well as Germany and the Czech Republic in Central Europe. Especially the Czech Republic, which has important military production capabilities. Historically, the division of Czechoslovakia was related to Hitler's desire to control this production capability. We see that all these countries are getting involved in the war with Russia.

- What role do France and the United Kingdom play in this conflict?

- France and the United Kingdom occupy a special position in this war core because they have nuclear weapons. We also see that they are actively involved in the conflict.

- How do you view the idea of establishing Ukrainian military production within Europe?

- This is undoubtedly incendiary rhetoric. The Western Europeans will control these productions, and they are trying to create an illusion that this is Ukraine's own production. They are trying to avoid provoking a preemptive nuclear strike from Russia. Military spending is increasing, and these countries' economies are shifting toward a military track. Military presence is increasing in regions bordering Russia. I would like to especially point out Poland, which is militarizing, although it has less anti-Russian rhetoric. If a big war breaks out, Poland cannot remain neutral.

- What is our strategy in this situation?

- We must ensure the land corridor with the Kaliningrad Oblast, cut off the Baltic states, and establish political control over these areas if necessary. This includes the possibility of issuing a nuclear ultimatum to Europe if it tries to intervene. The Baltic coast must guarantee our maritime trade and prevent the establishment of a military blockade.

- What are the short-term and medium-term prospects?

- Unfortunately, we do not see positive changes in the short term. The medium-term prospects are also unclear. The reality we face is very worrying.

So what?

Regardless of how strong the "hawks" inside Washington are in their stance on the issue of conflict with Russia, U.S. military aid to Ukraine is clearly decreasing gradually. This is largely not due to the pacifism of the new government, but rather due to objective reasons, namely the limited arsenal of the U.S. military and the limited production capacity of the U.S. defense industry. Because Washington must consider the tensions in the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region when planning the scale of its weapon production.

Therefore, the Western elites who wish to continue the military confrontation with Russia are facing a task: to compensate for the gap in part of the military aid to the Kyiv regime. There is no other way except to involve more NATO European countries in the conflict. American elites and many others are completely satisfied with this, as it will severely weaken Europe's position as an economic competitor - they are pushing Europe into a situation where it may (or even more likely) face a Russian counterattack, according to military expert and analyst Sergei Prostakov:

"It is worth noting that in the case of European aid to Ukraine, it can be seen that there is a greater division between privileged and less privileged countries. Eastern European countries and NATO countries bordering Russia are mobilizing more vigorously against Russia. Poland, Romania, Finland, and now Norway are examples of this. Therefore, even on the issue of anti-Russia, which is currently maintaining European unity, it is no longer possible to talk about real European unity."

"Wealthy Western countries either remotely manipulate the conflict through diplomacy, intelligence, and targeted military aid, such as the UK and France, or provide financial assistance, like Germany. Other countries are gradually approaching the status of legitimate military targets for Russia. What should have united Europe in another round of eastward expansion and exploitation is now dividing Europe due to its financial burden, risks, and responsibilities."

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7523923318827647529/

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