[…] From February 2022 to December 2023, the Russians have moved most of their military activity northward, to the Barents Sea.
”Symbolic demonstrations of strength far south in the Norwegian Sea, as we saw during the Trident Juncture exercise in 2018, have mainly ceased. Since February 24th, 2022, there has not been a single Russian NOTAM incident in the Norwegian Sea south of the Arctic Circle.”
Åtland believes it is positive, seen from the Norwegian side, that the Russian Northern Fleet conducts most of its firing exercises in their own vicinity.
”It will affect civilian activity off the Norwegian coast to a lesser degree, whether that is fisheries or civil ship and air traffic.” […]
Although military activity has moved from the Norwegian Sea to the Barents Sea, outside the coast of the Kola Peninsula, the firing ranges have changed.
The firing ranges have become larger and longer.
”A clear trend is that the firing ranges have become more extensive in the past two-year period than in the years before 2022. Several large Russian firing ranges in the Barents Sea are partly in the Russian economic zone and partly in the Norwegian. At the same time, the firing ranges last longer on average.”
The longest firing range registered was 11 days, according to Åtland.
The researchers have also explored whether the firing ranges coincide in time and space with NATO exercises in Norwegian waters.
”The Russians established a firing range on top of a Trident Juncture exercise area. It was clearly politically motivated.” Läs artikel