Norwegian military training base for Ukrainian forces opens in Poland

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

A new facility built by Norway for training Ukrainian military personnel has opened in Poland. Camp Jomsborg, as it is known, is part an initiative by Nordic and Baltic countries to provide support to Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression.

Training at the facility has already begun, with Norwegian and Estonian instructors working with a “three-figure number” Ukrainian troops, says Norway’s defence ministry. Once the camp reaches full capacity, it will be able to “train several thousand soldiers”.

“We are here to demonstrate unity, agency, strength, and our resilience and preparedness,” said Polish defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, opening the facility, located in the village of Lipa, near the Ukrainian border.

He was joined by his Norwegian and Estonian counterparts, Tore O. Sandvik and Hanno Pevkur, Ukrainian deputy defence minister Yevhen Moisiuk, as well as representatives of Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.

The camp is part of an initiative called Operation Legio, through which the Nordic and Baltic states, alongside Poland, are seeking to equip and train Ukraine’s defence forces.

“Ukraine has identified some of its best units that are in the war. Through cooperation, we are strengthening these units further, and adding equipment and expertise that make them even better,” said Sandvik at yesterday’s opening.

The programme covers both basic training and advanced courses for officers and specialists. Norway has so far allocated 10 billion kroner (€860 million) to Operation Legio, covering equipment, camp construction and training. Other Nordic and Baltic countries are also contributing, with total donations sufficient to equip two brigades.

“Our concept is that Ukrainian needs are the driving force,” said Sandvik. “Their need is for both soldiers and equipment to strengthen existing units.”

Kosiniak-Kamysz, meanwhile, noted that the initiative was not one-sided: Poland and its allies would also be able to draw on Ukrainian battlefield experience.

He highlighted the camp’s facilities for drone training and testing, saying they would allow the integration of lessons from the war. “Here we can implement the best solutions of an anti-drone army and the drone capabilities that the Ukrainian army possesses.”

Last month, Polish airspace was violated by multiple Russian drones, which arrived across the borders with Ukraine and Belarus. In response, Poland and its NATO allies have moved to increase air defences, while Warsaw has signed an agreement with Kyiv to cooperate on drone warfare.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Poland has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest backers, providing weapons, ammunition, training and humanitarian aid, as well as serving as a key hub for the delivery of Western aid.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Norwegian Ministry of Defence/x.com

Alicja Ptak

Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.