- Russian forces near Norway at '20% or less' than before Ukraine war, Norway's armed-forces chief says

Norway’s chief of defense, General Eirik Kristoffersen, stated that Russian forces stationed in the Arctic near Norway have decreased by “20% or less” since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This information was shared after a meeting of NATO chiefs of defense held in Oslo. Norway, as a NATO member and neighbor to Russia in the Arctic, shares a border with the Kola Peninsula, which houses Russia’s nuclear weapons and Northern Fleet. General Kristoffersen emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin is aware that NATO poses no threat to Russia. He highlighted that if Russia believed NATO was a threat, they would not have deployed troops to Ukraine. Admiral Rob Bauer, chair of NATO’s military committee, added that Russia’s behavior towards Finland, which recently joined NATO, follows a similar pattern. Despite Finland sharing a border with Russia and having Russian troops stationed along it, the number of troops has decreased since the war in Ukraine. Bauer emphasized that Russia’s response to Finland’s NATO accession has been limited to discussions rather than physical actions.