Norway raises military alert in response to Ukraine war - Reuters

OSLO, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Norway volition enactment its subject connected a raised level of alert from Tuesday, moving much unit onto operational duties and enhancing the relation of a accelerated mobilisation unit successful effect to the warfare successful Ukraine, the authorities said connected Monday.

Norway volition besides question to bring its caller fleet of U.S. made P-8 Poseidon submarine-hunting maritime patrol aircraft into regular cognition astatine a faster gait than primitively planned, the main of defence, General Eirik Kristoffersen, said.

"The authorities has decided that the Armed Forces volition rise its level of alert and determination to a caller signifier from Nov. 1," the authorities said successful a statement.

The standard of alert connected which the subject operates is classified, however, and the authorities declined to springiness details of the level.

NATO subordinate Norway shares a astir 200 km (125 mile) onshore borderline with Russia successful the Arctic arsenic good arsenic a immense maritime border.

The Nordic federation of 5.4 cardinal radical is besides present the biggest exporter of earthy state to the European Union, accounting for astir a 4th of each EU imports aft a driblet successful Russian flows.

"This is the astir terrible information concern successful respective decades," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere of the centre-Left Labour Party told a quality conference.

"There are nary indications that Russia is expanding its warfare to different countries, but the accrued tensions marque america much exposed to threats, quality operations and power campaigns."

The equipped forces volition walk little clip grooming and much clip connected operational duties, and the Home Guard, a accelerated mobilisation force, volition play a much progressive role, Defence Minister Bjoern Arild Gram said.

The aerial unit had called disconnected grooming successful the United States with its F35 combatant jets, preferring to support them successful Norway, the caput of the equipped forces Kristoffersen said.

"We expect this concern to past for astatine slightest 1 year," Kristoffersen said.

Norway archetypal deployed its subject to defender offshore platforms and onshore facilities aft leaks connected the Nord Stream pipeline connected Sept. 26 and has received enactment from the British, French and German navies.

The country's information constabulary past week arrested a suspected Russian spy and is besides progressive successful protecting state exports, captious to Europe's vigor supplies this coming winter.

Reporting by Gwladys Fouche; Writing by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Nora Buli, Philippa Fletcher, John Stonestreet and Alison Williams

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.