Thursday Morning News & Notes
Climate Change comes for our coffee and chocolate. Chinese ship boarded.
Editor’s Note - With the holiday season upon us it was as it is a scramble getting this week’s edition out the door. This will be the last edition or Informeret of 2024, barring any massive breaking news.
I just want to take a moment and thank all of you far reading along and subscribing to my little publication. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you in 2025!
🎄Christmas🎄
🇩🇰
It will take a Christmas miracle for Denmark to experience a white Christmas next week. While temperatures are forecast to get a little colder, they will likely still remain above zero. Meteorologist Thomas Mørk says a white Christmas is extremely unlikely this year. The last time Denmark experienced a white Christmas was 14 years ago.
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A sign of the times. Charging operator Clever is warning people travelling home for a Christmas in their electric vehicles to expect some long lineups at charging stations. It is advising drivers to think outside the box if they need to charge their vehicle and look around for other nearby charging stations. It is expecting traffic at charging stations across Denmark to be particularly high beginning this weekend.
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The number of families in need in Denmark this Christmas has increased significantly. The Danish government has now quadrupled special funding for those who need some extra help over the holiday season. Christmas aid has increased to 25.7 million kroner (about $5.1 million Cdn) after a record number of people in Denmark applied for Christmas help.
Social and Housing Minister Sophie Hæstorp Andersen:
“Christmas should not be about the family's worries about how to afford Christmas food and presents. By increasing the Christmas aid, more vulnerable families can have a good Christmas. That is why I am very happy that there is broad agreement in the Danish Parliament to increase the funding pool.”
Christmas aid is available to families who have children under the age of 18 and who qualify as being low-income. Families who qualify will receive gift cards to help buy gifts, food, and other Christmas needs.
The Danish Blue Cross has received 21,825 applications for Christmas help from families this year. This is the highest number ever for the organization.
Cable Sabotage
🇩🇰🇸🇪🇩🇪/ 🇨🇳🇷🇺
Breaking News
Swedish police have boarded the Chinese cargo ship Yi Peng 3 with Danish authorities helping to facilitate the visit. In a press release issued Thursday morning, Swedish police say they have been invited onboard “as observers.”
“Representatives from Chinese authorities are conducting investigations on the ship and have invited Swedish authorities to participate as observers. The National Accident Commission also participates. No investigative measures are carried out by the Police Authority on board the ship.”
Police add that the preliminary investigation into sabotaged cables continues. The investigation began in November with police authorities in Finland, Sweden, and Lithuania setting up a joint investigation team to investigate the cause of the damage to the cables.
“The investigations carried out on the ship on Thursday do not take place as part of the preliminary investigation.”
Under international maritime law, China would have had to approve the boarding of the ship.
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The Wall Street Journal, citing western intelligence sources, reports that the Chinese freighter may have been “induced by Russian intelligence” to use the ship’s anchor to damage the cables in the Baltic. U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Christopher Maier also recently made comments that seem to back up this link to Russia. He spoke to Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet.
“Russia understands that it cannot match the United States militarily after the setbacks in Ukraine and is looking for other ways to pressure and disrupt Western countries.”
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A collaboration between Nordic media outlets has led to suspicions that the Chinese freighter may have attempted to also sabotage undersea power cables off the coast of Lolland. Denmark’s TV2 Nord teamed up with Sweden’s TV2 and TV4 in an investigation that involved using a drone to gather video of the seafloor around the cables and examining AIS data of the movements of the freighter Yi Peng 3. What they found were drag marks on the seafloor, possibly made by an anchor, which lines up with the mysterious movements of the Chinese freighter. The AIS data shows Yi Peng 3 making several passes at reduced speed over the cables back on November 7, as it was making its way into the Baltic. At one point, it remained almost completely still above the cables for about five minutes.
DTU Aqua Senior Researcher Ole Ritzau Eigaard:
“The direction of the track and the direction of the ship coincide to such a degree that it is very likely that the two things are connected in some way.”
A former navy captain, now defense analyst at the Nordic Defense Cooperation, Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen, was also shown the video of the drag marks on the seafloor near the cables.
“It could be that an anchor was involved. But it could just as well be, for example, a wire with a cutting system or something else that has been pulled after the ship without me being able to directly verify it in any way.”
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One other wrinkle: a Russian ship with its AIS transponder turned off appeared to be holding position about 15 to 25 kilometres away from the Chinese freighter. Radio experts identified the ship by monitoring weather reports it sends via Morse code back to Russia. The data showed the ship remained stationary near Yi Peng 3 for at least several days earlier this week.
The vessel has been identified as the Evgeniy Churov, which is officially designated as a tugboat based out of Kaliningrad. However, experts note that it often escorts Russian naval vessels and submarines and appears to have antennas that might indicate an ability for audio surveillance and communications monitoring.
🍃Environment & Energy⚡️
🌎
November 2024 has been confirmed as the second warmest November on record, according to data from the EU Climate Change Service, Copernicus. The month recorded an average temperature of 14.10ºC, 0.73ºC above the 1991–2020 average and 1.62ºC above pre-industrial levels. With these findings, it is now virtually certain that 2024 will become the warmest year on record, marking the first calendar year with a global average temperature exceeding the 1.5ºC threshold set by the Paris Agreement.
Director Samantha Burgess emphasized the urgency of the data.
“This does not mean that the Paris Agreement has been breached, but it does mean ambitious climate action is more urgent than ever.”
In addition to temperature records, Antarctic sea ice extent reached a historic low for November, 10% below the average and slightly lower than previous records set in 2016 and 2023. The Arctic sea ice extent also ranked among the lowest, at 9% below average.
Beyond the polar regions, global rainfall patterns highlighted extremes. Western and central Europe experienced below-average rainfall, while the Spanish Mediterranean faced continued heavy rains following severe October floods. Meanwhile, areas in Eastern Europe, parts of the United Kingdom, and Iceland saw above-average rainfall.
🇷🇺
What looks like a catastrophic oil spill has occurred in the Kerch Strait near the Crimean peninsula. An aging Russian oil tanker carrying thousands of tonnes of oil broke apart and sank due to rough weather this week. Two other older tankers have also signalled they are in distress. The Russian shipping authority Rosmorrechflot has confirmed an oil spill emergency, but it has not revealed exactly how bad the situation is. The tankers are all from the late 1960s or early 70s.
🌍
Climate change continues to wreak havoc on global crops, and consumers will continue to feel the fiscal impact. For the second time in less than a year, cocoa bean prices have surged to record highs. On Wednesday, cocoa bean prices shot up to $12,500 per tonne, breaking the previous record high of $12,220/tonne set on April 15. Prices are being driven up by drought concerns in West Africa, which supplies most of the world’s cocoa beans.
Supply challenges, worsened by climate change, are expected to keep cocoa prices historically high in the coming year, as demand outpaces production. That will mean chocolate prices will push even higher in the new year.
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The costs of a cup of coffee will also keep getting more expensive as the price of coffee beans also remains at historical highs. Global coffee bean crops are also suffering from climate change-driven severe weather events.
🇩🇰
While there are still freezing cold winter days in Denmark, there are a lot less of them than there used to be. A new report from Climate Central, a research centre, found that in the past ten years the number of days in Denmark where temperatures dipped below zero has dropped by more than half thanks to global warming. On average, there are 21 fewer freezing cold days every winter. In Copenhagen, it is even worse with 25 fewer days with temperatures below zero.
DR Meteorologist Mikael Jarnvig, who has been on the job since 1976, has a blunt assessment.
“We don't have winter anymore. Autumn lasts all the way to spring. Winter has more or less been done away with.”
The absence of winter poses a huge challenge for agriculture. For example, potatoes that have been overlooked don’t seed in the ground without sub-zero temperatures. Instead those potatoes can develop diseases that pose a risk to future crops. Freezing temperatures also help keep aphids and other garden pests in check. With fewer truly cold days, pest populations will grow significantly, posing a threat to crops and plants.
🇫🇮
Finland has recorded its coldest winter day so far this season. Last Sunday, temperatures plunged to -38.2°C in Tulppio in the country’s northeast. Finnish Lapland has seen some weird weather this fall and winter with a very late arrival for winter temperatures after an unusually warm fall. Even now the thermometer has some wild swings between mild temperatures and bone-chilling cold.
🇩🇰
A marine area between Sjælland and Lolland-Falster, called Smålandsfarvandet, could become a new national park. In a press release, Denmark’s Ministry of the Environment says that an assessment process will soon be underway to see if the area is suitable to be preserved as a national park. The feasibility study consists of, among other things, a review of natural areas and cultural history, a landscape analysis, and an assessment of the potential for tourism and business.
The assessment will start next year and is not expected to finish until 2026.
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People across Denmark are seeing fewer birds in their gardens and backyards. The Danish Ornithological Association says it has been in contact with concerned people across the country. The agency says there could be a number of reasons for the decline.
DOF Biologist Knud Flensted:
“It could be a mixture of random fluctuations, diseases, and climatic changes. Those are my best bets.”
The association also theorizes that warming temperatures and mild weather so far this winter are providing birds with enough food in their own environment that they don’t need to use bird feeders.
🇫🇮
Finland’s ambitious climate goal to become carbon neutral by 2035 is in jeopardy, with researchers warning of a growing gap between the nation’s commitments and the actions required to meet them. According to calculations from the Finnish Environment Institute and other research groups, Finland must cut an additional 10 million tonnes of emissions to stay on track, an unprecedented feat with just over a decade to go.
This challenge is compounded by systemic issues in the country’s carbon sink calculations, which rely heavily on its vast forests. A technical discrepancy in the forest biomass model used by the state-owned Natural Resources Institute Finland appears to have understated the magnitude of reductions needed, putting both national and EU climate targets at risk. "The difference is incredibly large," said senior researcher Sampo Soimakallio, emphasizing that immediate action is essential to avert millions of euros in EU fines and a potential violation of the country’s Climate Act.
🇪🇺
Doubts are building that the European Union will be able to meet its green energy goals. According to a report by Reuters, the rate of solar power installations across Europe in 2024 was just 4%, a drastic slowdown compared to previous years. The amount of installed solar energy in both 2021 and 2022 increased by more than 40% and then exceeded 50% in 2023.
This year, 65.5 gigawatts of solar power production was installed. To put it into context, in order to meet its green energy goals for 2030, the EU must install 70 GW of new solar power capacity each year.
SolarPower Europe has scaled back its green energy growth forecasts as a result of this slowdown. For the first time, the group's "low" outlook would now see Europe miss its renewable energy targets.
One of the problems is “grid bottlenecks,” where the rate of the green energy transition has outpaced necessary upgrades to Europe’s power grid. As a result, new solar power projects often have to wait years to be connected to the grid.
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If you are in the market for a new gas or diesel vehicle in the new year, expect to pay more. European car manufacturers will be cranking up prices on fossil fuel vehicles as of January 1, in order to try and incentivize buyers to go electric. The reason why is that the EU will begin fining carmakers who do not reach their climate targets. The EU has mandated that 20% of all vehicles being sold by car manufacturers in Europe be electric.
Some big brands like VW and Renault have already begun increasing prices on their gas and diesel vehicles. The potential upside for those who want to buy an EV in the new year is the possibility of discounts as carmakers look to increase electric vehicle sales.
🇩🇰🇩🇪⚡️
Electricity prices hit highs not seen since the 2022 energy crisis last week due to doldrums in the North Sea and across Germany. With little to no wind, thousands of offshore and onshore wind turbines produced little if any electricity. That combined with increased energy use for, among other things, heating, drove prices upward.
Winds have since picked up and electricity prices have plummeted since.
🇩🇰
The Danish Energy Agency has given the go a-head for a new offshore wind farm in Jammerland Bay just south of Kalundborg. The wind farm will consist of 16 wind turbines, each standing 256 meters high, with a total capacity of 240 megawatts of power production. For context, that is enough electricity to power about 240,000 homes. The new wind farm is expected to come online in 2029.
🇳🇱🇩🇰🇸🇪
Google has signed a 15-year agreement with a wind energy facility in the Netherlands for 250 megawatts of power, enough electricity to power about 250,000 homes. Zeevonk is a wind energy farm that is partially owned by both Danish Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Swedish Vattenfall. Google will use the green energy for its businesses in the Netherlands, which include several data centres.
Google has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2030.
🦠Outbreaks🦠
🇩🇰
The influenza season has arrived with the number of infections rising quickly. However, the Statens Serum Institute says the number of flu-related hospital admissions, while increasing, remains at a low level.
RS virus infection numbers are also increasing, with infection-related hospitalizations now assessed as being at a “medium level” as admissions rise.
Meanwhile, COVID infection numbers remain unusually low for this time of year. The SSI says numbers continue to more or less tread water from week to week. It classifies the infection spread and associated hospital admissions, which have decreased, as being at a “medium level.”
The mycoplasma pneumonia epidemic appears to be easing with the number of confirmed cases declining. The number of related hospitalizations is “at a low level.”
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On the vaccination front, uptake for a flu shot and a COVID booster dose among vulnerable seniors in care is 85%. Among those 65 and older, the vaccination rate is 75%.
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The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration has raised the threat level for avian influenza. It is because an increasing number of birds in Denmark and in neighbouring countries have tested positive. The threat level has not been moved from medium to high.
This means that poultry farms must now take precautions with farmed birds contained inside buildings or in covered areas.
So far this year, authorities in Denmark have killed more than 200,000 farmed birds due to avian flu outbreaks.
🇸🇪
The winter virus season is in full swing in Sweden. Swedish State Epidemiologist Magnus Gisslén says on top of the winter sickness (norovirus), COVID, and the worst pneumonia outbreak in over two decades, influenza has also arrived with cases doubling in just a week.
“The flu has started to gain momentum in the last week, and the winter flu season has now started. As usual at this time of year, many infections are circulating at the same time. It is now clear that the spread of both the winter sickness and the flu has gained momentum and that the epidemic season has now begun.”
Gisslén says COVID is also infecting a lot of people right now, and he expects infection numbers to only increase.
“The greatest risks for individuals in high-risk groups are primarily influenza and COVID.”
Sweden is also suffering its worst mycoplasma pneumonia outbreak in the last 26 years with a record number of people seeking medical care. The Swedish Public Health Agency says it is seeing no sign that infection spread is slowing down. The agency says people between 20 and 30 years old seem to be hit the hardest.
“The number of intensive care admissions has been at a level I have never seen before in my years as an infectious disease doctor.”
On top of all of that, whooping cough infections also remain unusually high.
With all of these viruses swirling around, Gisslén is again lamenting that far too few people in high-risk and vulnerable populations have chosen to get vaccinated.
“Too few have been vaccinated. It is a concern. Those over 65 or who are at high risk should get vaccinated now; it's not too late.”
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In Sweden, the number of COVID hospitalizations (281) has slipped just a little (-2) while the number of severely infected people requiring intensive care (5) has also edged downward slightly (-1).
🇬🇧
A new study from the United Kingdom provides hope for many teenagers suffering from long-COVID, while highlighting ongoing challenges for others. Researchers from the National Long COVID in Children and Young People cohort study followed more than 12,600 teens aged 11 to 17 who had PCR testing for COVID between September 2020 and March 2021. Among those who tested positive, 233 met the research definition for long-COVID three months after their initial infection. While the majority recovered over time, 29% of those with long-COVID continued to experience symptoms up to two years later.
By the two-year mark, 165 of the 233 teens (70.8%) who initially reported long-COVID symptoms had recovered. However, 68 participants (7.2%) still met the formal criteria for long-COVID, with lingering issues such as fatigue, trouble sleeping, shortness of breath, and headaches.
One of the study’s authors, Dr. Terence Stephenson:
“Our findings show that for teenagers who fulfilled our research definition of long-COVID three months after a positive test for the coronavirus, the majority have recovered after two years. This is good news, but we intend to do further research to try to better understand why the 68 teenagers had not recovered.”
Interestingly, some teens who never tested positive for COVID or who had reinfections also reported multiple symptoms over the 24-month period, underscoring the complexity of diagnosing and studying long-COVID. Among all groups, 20% to 25% reported three or more symptoms two years after their initial testing, though not all met the strict criteria for long-COVID. Researchers found that older teens and females were more likely to experience persistent symptoms.
🇺🇦Ukraine/ Russia War🇷🇺
NATO
The Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, says that alliance member nations need to switch to a "wartime mindset" and "turbocharge military spending.” Rutte says that NATO member nations are not sufficiently prepared to deal with future military threats from either Russia or China. Currently, NATO member countries are required to spend 2% of their GDP on defense, but he says that needs to go much higher.
“Russia is preparing for a long-term confrontation with Ukraine and with us. The security situation is the worst I have seen in my lifetime.”
🇩🇰🇸🇪🇳🇴🇫🇮🇵🇱🇩🇪🇱🇻🇪🇪🇱🇹🇬🇧/ 🇷🇺
A coalition of European countries has agreed to work together to check oil tankers suspected of being part of Russia’s so-called ‘shadow fleet’ for proof of insurance. The countries include Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, Germany, the Baltic states, and the UK.
The initiative to try and further tighten the screws on Russia’s ability to skirt sanctions on its oil and gas exports was announced in a press release.
“We share a common will to take further, coordinated steps to disrupt and deter Russia's shadow fleet and confront the risks it poses. To that end, the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Finland, and Estonia instruct the respective maritime authorities to request relevant proof of insurance from suspected shadow vessels when passing through the English Channel, Great Belt, Øresund, and the Gulf of Finland.”
Denmark’s Foreign Affairs Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said that this continues efforts to “fight the shadow fleet.”
“Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Germany, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Poland, the United Kingdom, and others will continue to cast more light on the Russian shadow fleet. We will jointly request proof of insurance from suspected shadow vessels. The EU has also tightened its grip through new sanctions. We will keep countering the shadow fleet with our allies."
Russia uses a fleet of aging oil tankers with concealed ownership, dubious insurance coverage, and flying flags of convenience to skirt sanctions on its oil exports. Concern about the ‘shadow fleet’ has been growing over the risk the ships pose to the environment and maritime security.
While the countries will share information and register vessels that refuse to reveal their insurance coverage, it isn’t clear what actions, if any, the coalition of countries will take.
The move also comes as the European Union adopts new sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Among other things, new sanctions have been levied against 52 vessels, including some in the shadow fleet, bringing the total number of sanctioned ships to 79.
🇪🇺🇺🇦
One name will be on the lips of European heads of state when they begin their summit today in Brussels: Donald Trump. The bombastic and mercurial president-elect has promised to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. He has also said that the war has cost Americans way too much money. That, combined with his ‘America first’ policy, could result in a new and unpredictable security situation for Europe.
Former Latvian Prime Minister and current senior advisor at the global strategic communications consultancy Kreab, Krišjānis Kariņš, recently opined there is a huge shift in global affairs underway. In this time of transition, he says Europe needs to decide whether it is ready to break away from the status quo and come into its own as a true global power or not.
“The US is now in the process of reassessing its leadership role in the world, with profound ramifications for everyone. What is clear is that the US, especially under a Trump administration, no longer feels the need to be the main guardian of European security. The Trump administration will most likely step back from its role as clear leader of the democratic world, instead being much more confrontational and transactional to friend and foe alike. This leaves Europe with a choice. It can either step up to the challenge and strive to become a true geopolitical player on the world stage, complete with military power, or else risk becoming in many ways more and more irrelevant to world affairs as the US and China line up more strongly against each other.”
Going into the summit, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told DR that Europe must have a role to play in helping Ukraine determine its own future.
“Regardless of what happens in the USA, my position is crystal clear: I do not want Russia or President Putin to decide on anything in Europe.”
European leaders are clearly concerned that Trump and Putin could hammer out an agreement to end the war with Ukraine and the EU left on the outside looking in. EU leaders have maintained that Ukraine must be at the negotiating table and have its own say in determining its future. The question is how to accomplish that while dealing with a wild card in Trump.
Frederiksen says the absolute best way to ensure Ukraine’s security is for the country to join NATO.
“If we do not achieve NATO membership, I find it very difficult to see that we can credibly claim that there is security for Ukraine.”
French President Emmanuel Macron recently floated the idea of deploying a 40,000-soldier-strong European peacekeeping force on the border between Ukraine and Russia to ensure peace.
Mette Frederiksen is not supportive of the idea.
“I find it difficult to see that sending European, including Danish soldiers, to Ukraine as being a better solution. Soldiers on the ground come with a lot of risks and dilemmas, whereas NATO membership is the best insurance policy to have.”
One thing is clear, no matter what EU leaders decide behind closed doors today, the feeling is that Europe can no longer rely on the United States the way that it has up until now.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said as much going into the summit.
“Do not take American support to Ukraine for granted, do not take American funding of European NATO defense for granted. We have done that for far too long.”
NATO🇺🇦
Ukraine was the big topic on the table Wednesday night when NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a number of European heads of state, including Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. The meeting in Brussels was held before today’s summit meeting with the EU heads of state.
In a press conference, Rutte said the meeting was about strengthening Ukraine's position both now and in the future. He also highlighted the Danish donations model, where weapons and ammunition are procured directly from Ukrainian defense contractors instead of from domestic stockpiles.
🇺🇦/ 🇰🇵🇷🇺
North Korea recently sent an estimated 10,000 soldiers to help the Russian war effort, marking a serious escalation in the conflict. However, it doesn’t look like many of them will make it home. Evidence is mounting that North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses. Ukrainian intelligence claims to have intercepted a phone call where a nurse in a Moscow area hospital says that hundreds of injured North Korean soldiers are arriving every day.
General Pat Ryder, with the U.S. Department of Defense, recently backed that information up in comments to Reuters.
“We see indications that they are suffering heavy losses with soldiers both killed and wounded.”
The Institute for the Study of War also concluded that Russian and North Korean troops have also had issues communicating with each other, leading to confusion on the battlefield.
🇺🇦/ 🇷🇺
All is fair in love and war. Russia has weaponized its energy exports by dramatically slowing down, or outright stopping, the flow of oil and gas through pipelines into Europe. Now Ukraine has taken a page out of the Russian playbook and shut off the flow of Russian gas through pipelines that run through Ukraine into Europe.
A gas agreement struck between Russia and Ukraine will expire on January 1. The Ukrainian government says it will not be extended. Currently, pipelines are carrying Russian gas through Ukraine and into Moldova and Slovakia.
The Ukrainian government says it would like to discuss creating new pipeline connections to allow gas from other countries to flow through Ukraine and into Europe.
🇩🇰🇺🇦
Denmark will end its F-16 training program for Ukrainian pilots in the new year. Since 2023, Danish instructors have been teaching Ukrainian pilots to fly the more modern fighter jets at Skrydstrup Air Force Base in Jutland. Beginning in 2025, Portugal will take responsibility for the F-16 training program. It is unclear if Danish instructors will also be relocating to Portugal to help out.
In the last two years, about 20 Ukrainian pilots have graduated from Denmark’s F-16 training program.
🇳🇴
Norway is donating 2.7 billion Norwegian kroner (about $342 million Cdn) to help strengthen the Ukrainian navy. The money will be spent on clearing naval mines, training marines, and protecting Ukraine from maritime attacks by Russian forces.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre:
“Ukraine needs more support to deter Russian naval forces in the Black Sea in the immediate future. It is essential to protect the Ukrainian population and Ukrainian infrastructure from attacks by Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. It is also important to protect exports by sea of grain and other products, which generate crucial revenues for Ukraine.”
The support package also includes donations from Norway’s armed forces as well as military equipment to be procured directly from the defense sector.
Prime Minister Støre made the announcement this week while visiting Haakonsvern Naval Base alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Norway and the UK are leading the Maritime Capability Coalition for Ukraine, which was launched last December. Norway has been providing training for Ukrainian marines while also contributing to international efforts to train small boat crews for river operations.
Recently, the Norwegian government allocated 22.5 billion Norwegian kroner in military support for Ukraine for 2025, a major increase in its financial support for the war-torn country. .
🇸🇪
Swedish police suspect sabotage after suspicions of unauthorized entry to a water reservoir in the municipality of Bollebygd. 900 people have been told not to drink the water until test results come back. The municipality says that it cannot guarantee the safety of the drinking water after police found evidence someone accessed the reservoir. Test results are not expected back until January 2 at the earliest.
Police spokesperson Adam Isaksson Samara calls the investigation “very serious.”
“In that it is a potential sabotage against a socially important piece of infrastructure, this is seen as very serious.”
This isn’t the first reservoir that has been illegally accessed. In recent years several reservoirs have been breached including one in October. The situation has become so serious that the Swedish Military Intelligence Service has identified it as a potential security threat.
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Another reminder, and a grim one at that, that Europe is preparing for the possibility of war. Sweden has been at the forefront of preparing its citizens for the possibility of a national crisis or war. In the fall the government sent out a crisis preparedness brochure to every household in the country. Now the country’s national church is looking at its options in the event it has to deal with mass burials in the event of a major war. In Gothenburg, the Church of Sweden estimates it needs ten hectares of land for some 30,000 graves to be able to quickly bury dead soldiers and other potential war casualties.
🇫🇮
Finland is extending its offer of free university for Ukrainian refugees. About 500 Ukrainians have taken advantage of the offer over the past three years. The program offering Ukrainian refugees free university was supposed to end in March of 2025, but with the war dragging on, the Finnish government has extended the program.
🇺🇦⚽️
Ukraine is not happy with FIFA. The international football organization recently published a map of countries that cannot play against each other for geopolitical reasons. Among the highlighted countries was Ukraine; however, the map marked the occupied Crimean peninsula as being Russian not Ukrainian.
That sparked the ire of the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heorhij Tykhy:
“By drawing the borders differently, you not only act against international law but also support Russian propaganda, war crimes, and aggression against Ukraine.”
The Crimean peninsula was annexed by the Russians in 2014, but the area is internationally recognized as part of Ukraine.
Odds & Ends
🇩🇰
It could soon cost you more to take public transit to Copenhagen airport. Copenhagen Mayor Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil is proposing a tax of 50 kroner (about $10 Cdn) for all public transport to and from the airport. The idea is being met with a tonne of criticism.
🇩🇰/ 🇨🇳
Denmark’s Police Intelligence Service (PET) is raising a warning over DNA and genome testing conducted by the BGI Group, the world’s largest genomics organization. PET warns that the BGI Group is Chinese owned and operated, which it says means that all the DNA and genome data it collects risks ending up with China's intelligence services or military.
The BGI Group has been working with researchers at Danish universities for years.
Denmark is not alone in airing this concern. The United States and other countries have also issued warnings about the BGI Group.
🇧🇬🇷🇴🇪🇺
Bulgaria and Romania are now both fully included in the Schengen zone. That means travelers within the EU no longer have to undergo passport checks to enter either country. Likewise, citizens of both countries are free to travel within the EU unhindered.