Norwegian Chief of Defense General Eirik Kristoffersen stated today, Saturday, that Russian forces stationed in the Arctic near Norway have decreased by approximately "20 percent" compared to their numbers before the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Norway is a member of NATO and shares a border with Russia in the Arctic region. The northern country is located near the Kola Peninsula, home to most of Russia's nuclear weapons and its Northern Fleet managing nuclear submarines.
Speaking after a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Oslo, Kristoffersen said that Russian President Vladimir Putin "knows well" that NATO does not pose a threat to Russia. He added during a press conference, "At our borders, at the Russian border, perhaps 20 percent or fewer Russian forces remain compared to what it was before February 24, 2022." He stated, "If he believed we threatened Russia, he wouldn't be able to move his forces to Ukraine to fight there." Finland and Russia share a border that stretches 1,300 kilometers, where Russian forces are deployed.
