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Norway to finance production of NATO-standard artillery shells in Ukraine

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The Norwegian government will provide Kyiv with its defense technology and finance the production of artillery shells
Photo for illustrative purposes. The production of 155 mm artillery shells at Nammo, a Finnish-Norwegian-owned defense company in Karlskoga, Sweden, on April 2, 2024. (Olena Zashko / The Kyiv Independent)

The Norwegian government will provide Kyiv with its defense technology and finance the production of 155-millimeter artillery shells developed by the Nammo (Nordic Ammunition Company) in Ukraine, according to its Aug. 23 statement.

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine has made a wide-reaching shift to NATO standard 155 mm artillery, as Kyiv's partners had a short supply in stock of Soviet-caliber shells – 122 mm and 152 mm.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said that Ukraine has a great need for artillery ammunition to counter Russian aggression.

Therefore, the ammunition manufacturer Nammo has signed an agreement, allowing the licensed production of 155-mm artillery shells in Ukraine. As a result, Ukrainian troops will receive ammunition faster, according to the statement.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide called cooperation with the Ukrainian defense industry a "wise and effective" way to support Ukraine.

Nammo (Nordic Ammunition Company) is a joint Norwegian-Finnish company tasked with ammunition production. Its shares are split evenly between Norway’s Trade and Industry Ministry and the Finnish defense corporation Patria.

In March, the Norwegian government allowed Norwegian defense companies to apply for a license to transfer its shell production technology to Ukraine. Nammo was among the first companies to apply for and receive a license.

In February, Nammo's Swedish plant switched to a round-the-clock operation to produce ammunition for Ukraine. The same month, the Finnish Nammo Lapua's ammunition factory announced that it would increase production fivefold in 2024 due to Russia's war in Ukraine.

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Kateryna Hodunova

News Editor

Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

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