Norway to send M72s to Ukraine
Ukraine will receive 2,000 M72 weapons. (Photo: Norwegian Armed Forces/Anette Ask)
In a policy U-turn, the Norwegian government is to send weapons to Ukraine.
The Norwegian government has decided to donate up to 2,000 M72 Light Assault Weapon disposable antitank rocket launchers to Ukraine via Poland, state-owned broadcaster NRK reported on 28 February.
Norway had previously confined its support to a NOK2 billion ($230 million) humanitarian assistance package plus helmets and bulletproof vests — but the government rapidly changed tack.
‘The government has decided this afternoon that Norway will offer Ukraine arms support to defend the country against the military attack from Russia. We are thus on the same line as close allies and the other Nordic countries,’ said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
He added: ‘Norway has a restrictive practice for exporting defence materiel, but Ukraine is now in an extraordinary situation.’
Norway joins a growing number of European countries to provide infantry weapons to Ukraine to help it fight against the Russian invasion, but this trend has not gone unnoticed in Moscow.
The Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement on 28 February to warn of ‘dangerous’ consequences for countries supplying Ukraine with weapons.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Ukraine-Russia News: Technology and Equipment Spotlight
-
![Reporting on Russia's invasion of Ukraine (podcast)]()
Reporting on Russia's invasion of Ukraine (podcast)
In a new-look Shephard Defence Podcast, the news team discusses the rapidly-evolving situation in Ukraine and latest developments following Russia's unprovoked invasion.
-
![Italy may donate 155mm howitzers to Ukraine]()
Italy may donate 155mm howitzers to Ukraine
Ukraine could obtain more 155mm howitzers — this time from Italy — as Kyiv seeks to tip the artillery balance against Russia.
-
![Germany mulls supplying IRIS-T to Ukraine]()
Germany mulls supplying IRIS-T to Ukraine
Will Germany decide to provide ten medium-range SAM systems to Ukraine?
-
![Reina Isabel returns to port after partial failure to complete Ukraine delivery]()
Reina Isabel returns to port after partial failure to complete Ukraine delivery
The Spanish Navy support vessel Reina Isabel returned to its homeport on 13 May after a mission to deliver arms, ammunition and Ukraine — although Kyiv did not receive everything it expected.
-
![Pitfalls remain with giving Ukraine modern fighter jets]()
Pitfalls remain with giving Ukraine modern fighter jets
It seems appealing to fast-track pilot training by conducting most flights on simulators and omitting certain procedures if the West were to give more modern aircraft for Ukraine’s air force, but it might prove challenging in practice.
-
![Down, but not out (Comment)]()
Down, but not out (Comment)
The sinking in April of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea flagship, although not evidence of a major change in the naval domain, is a far cry from the pre-emptive scuttling of Ukraine’s own flagship. The donation of increasingly advanced materiel demonstrates increased faith in Ukraine’s ability to resist the Russian invaders.
