In view of the harsh reality of the battlefield in Ukraine, the Norwegian military is rehearsing burial procedures and grieving for fallen soldiers, according to local media on Thursday.
According to a report by Norwegian broadcaster NRK, the macabre training was a component of army drills at the Setermoen firing range in the county of Troms in the country’s north.
In addition to engaging in “sharp acts of war,” the service personnel are considering the “mental” side of combat, which involves interment in the field.
Some troops also act like they are injured and help their fellows who are unable to move as part of the training. A group of Norwegian troops can be seen standing over a recently dug grave with a makeshift wooden cross in one of the outlet’s photos, which appears to have been taken in the summer. An further image, captured during the winter, shows a service member who appears to be injured, lying on his back in the snow and seemingly awaiting rescue.
Even with such training, “you are never properly prepared for something like that,” Gunner Jens Espeland told the publication, adding that “we got to think and reflect on what everyday life actually is.” Chief Sergeant Stian Mo mentioned that he incorporated into the training his own horrific experience from the war in Afghanistan, where he lost a comrade in a vehicle explosion.
The war in Ukraine, according to deputy battalion commander Albert Vedeler, “has put things into perspective,” characterising the deaths of fellow soldiers as “a real situation that can happen in Norway.” “Our great enemy in the east can potentially move in, take lives and destroy things we love about the nation of Norway,” he remarked, seemingly alluding to its neighbour, Russia.
Moscow has said time and time again that it has no intention of attacking NATO. But Russia has long voiced worries about the military alliance headed by the US moving closer to its frontiers. One of the main causes of the conflict, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, was Ukraine’s push to join the alliance.
The funeral training in Norway coincides with Kiev’s much-publicized counteroffensive, which began in the early summer but failed to gain any significant territory, causing the Ukrainian army to sustain catastrophic casualties, according to Moscow. Over 125,000 servicemen have left Ukraine in the last six months, according to Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
