From Kirkenes to the frontline: Norwegian border town sends laptops to Ukraine’s defenders
A Norwegian municipality that until recently maintained friendship agreements with two major Russian military hubs on the Kola Peninsula is now helping Ukraine by sending a shipment of IT equipment to support schools, communities and frontline defenders.
Outside Kirkenes Town Hall, local fire brigade employee Morten Meslo loads boxes into a van clearly marked with a Norwegian-Ukrainian flag logo. He is well aware that the Russian Consulate General, located just across the square, has a direct view of the activity.
The cargo includes around 200 laptops donated by the municipality, local schools and other contributors in Norway’s border region with Russia.
In Ukraine, the need for computers and digital equipment remains acute.
Russian drone attacks, glide-bomb strikes and missile barrages continue to hit towns and cities across the country, making in-person education difficult and, in many areas, dangerous. Hundreds of educational facilities have been damaged or destroyed since the full-scale invasion began. Pupils, students and teachers often work remotely or from bomb shelters, creating a pressing demand for reliable IT equipment, particularly laptops.
Many of the laptops in the shipment were previously used in schools in Kirkenes. They will now help Ukrainian pupils continue their education under wartime conditions. Some of the equipment may also be used by Ukrainian military units as they defend the country against Russia’s invasion.
Demand for computer components remains high as Ukraine continues to expand and adapt its rapidly evolving drone capabilities, a key feature of the modern battlefield.
The shipment from northern Norway to eastern Ukraine has been organised by the volunteer group Norwegian-Ukrainian Fire and Ambulance Support.
It is the second van loaded with IT equipment from Kirkenes to make the journey to Ukraine. A similar delivery took place in 2024. The year before, in 2023, the municipality donated a fire engine to Ukrainian rescue services, which was also driven to Ukraine by volunteers from Kirkenes.
Kirkenes, Norway’s only municipality with a direct border with Russia, maintained extensive cross-border cooperation with its twin municipalities on the Kola Peninsula for decades.
Those ties included friendship agreements with Severomorsk and Pechenga — both heavily militarised communities that now play important roles in Russia’s war effort.
Severomorsk serves as headquarters of Russia’s Northern Fleet, while Pechenga hosts the 71st Motor Rifle Division, formerly known as the 200th Motor Rifle Brigade, as well as the 61st Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade.
Against the backdrop of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kirkenes formally ended its friendship agreements with Pechenga in 2024 and Severomorsk in 2023.
