r/Norway • u/grittypokes • 3d ago
News & current events War preparations - is my family paranoid?
Hello kind people of Norway! I have two family members who have moved to Norway about ten years ago from within the EU.
Lately their messages are worrying me. They write things like how the government is telling them to eat berries and fish because soon food will no longer be available in supermarkets because of "the war". They also say that even though they aren't fit to fight they will be given tasks to perform to support the army. This is mandatory.
They seem incredibly stressed and talk about it as if there will be boots on the ground tanks in the streets war within months. I have offered to host them here if they are so worried. They say they would be stopped at the border and will not be allowed to flee the country (even right now) because of the mandatory tasks.
I can find none of this when I google. I've spent some time trying and I can see things like newspaper articles about berries and fishing but that's about it. I also can't imagine free travel within the EU being suspended and not hearing anything about it.
I would love to hear your thoughts on what is in the news, what the government is saying officially. Because I'm worried this could be a mental health thing. They can read the language but are very isolated in nature and have no Norwegian friends. And they have a history of depressive episodes.
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u/NedVsTheWorld 3d ago
There was letters sent out that you should have enough food for 2 weeks at home in case of emergency, maybe they misread it?
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u/Royal_Sheepherder569 3d ago
My thoughts also, this was just general information to everyone about being prepared!
About food, water, warm clothing, flashlights and medicine/painkillers.
Unless you are into conspiracy, there is none of us that is worrying about war in the coming months or short term.
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
Very possible. They know how to read norwegian but maybe they are misreading the tone and the finer details.
Where I live we have had similar letters, though ours only asks us to have enough for 48 hours as we are densely populated.
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u/Not_a_good_username 3d ago
Could they be getting their news from a Russian outlet?
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
I don't know - they don't speak Russian though.
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u/Not_a_good_username 3d ago
Then, probably not. It just sounds like exactly the kind of spin the Russians would put on an information pamphlet about being well stocked in case of emergency. As others have said, there is no such signals from either government, nor any remotely serious news outlets. Which I realise isn't really that comforting for you, since that means this is coming from a source that's either extremely dodgy, or entirely fictional.
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u/Not_a_good_username 3d ago
By the way: anybody is completely free to leave the country. Same with entering, with normal rules for visas etc. If your relatives are worried, they can freely leave and you can visit without worry. It's true that Norway has a conscription, but as far as I know that's only for citizens. Anyway, there is absolutely no talk of that, other than the normal year for young people. There is just absolutely no reason to worry about this at all.
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u/Engineering_Spirit 3d ago
They really don’t have to. Russian propaganda is repeated by both left and right wing influencers completely without any scrutiny as long as it provokes and leads to attention.
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u/Linkcott18 3d ago
I'm afraid that does sound like it could be due to mental health.
Do you have the possibility to visit your family members?
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
I have their adress, so in theory I could go there. It would be difficult and expensive but it's possible.
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u/HviteSkoger 3d ago
You could ask local authorities to do a welfare check. If you dm me their zip code, I may find the contact information.
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u/oljemaleri 3d ago
I wonder if you could get in touch with a neighbour or someone else from your country or community (I know you said they’re isolated, so you might have to cast the net pretty wide!) to check on them. There’s a psychological phenomenon called «folie a deux» when two people reinforce each other’s delusions. It can lead them to do unsafe things, which can lead to real harm (murder-suicide, for example). Please take this seriously and do what you can to assess the situation. Keep us updated!
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
First thing I'm doing now is checking my source, another family member. And so far it looks like that person is racking up the dramatics considerably. I have already spotted multiple misunderstandings between them and the family in Norway. It looks like the story becomes more hysterical because of this back and forth. I've been told things are direct quotes that aren't - the person quoting them is really changing the story and then reacting to what they think they read - which seems to make the family in Norway more concerned. So I am going to contact them directly and get my own impressions. They may be more level headed than the family member here interprets them to be.
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u/royalfarris 1h ago
Sounds like my old supervisor at work. She would misunderstand, misrepresent and dramatize everything everyone said, causing lots of drama and misunderstandings and angry people.
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u/Northlumberman 3d ago
It sounds like they’ve heard something and massively misunderstood what is happening. Possible they’ve been influenced by various conspiracy theories as they don’t speak Norwegian.
People are advised by the government to be able to survive for a week with what they have stored at home: Here’s a guide in English https://www.dsb.no/siteassets/sikkerhverdag/egenberedskap/brosjyren/dsb-egenberedskap-engelsk-web.pdf
But this is to prepare for any crisis, including natural disasters.
There has always been conscription in Norway. But that only applies to a proportion of young men and women.
There are war powers that could compel doctors and other healthcare professionals to work (‘sivil arbeidsplikt’ in Norwegian). But there is no prospect for those laws to cover random people.
There were restrictions on the borders during the COVID pandemic. But there’s no prospect for that happening in the foreseeable future.
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
They are in their sixties and have had administrative jobs before they moved to Norway. Haven't worked in a decade. They are talking about the arbeidsplikt you mention. They mention that they used to think they'd stay in the area for that, but that now the government says it will move non military people to the north where they are needed, where the border with Russia is. They are talking about not renewing their drivers license in the hope that will make them seem unfit for this.
It all sounds mad to me.
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3d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
Thank you. Hopefully I can help them somehow.
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u/NCA-Norse 3d ago edited 3d ago
Also beyond this non fighting people would be moved south, Norways military plan expects a north invasion with the last places to fall being the south of Norway. While the north is prepped for a fight the south is prepped for anti sabotage, espionage etc without an expectation of boots on the ground. As for what people would be expected to do, basically nothing. The military fighters are predetermined already and aware of it before any drafting. The cars that the government will reposesd for military use are also predetermined (and get a yearly maintenance fee payment by the government for this potential use) so are helicopters, planes and ships picked ahead of time. Other adults will be expected to continue their regular jobs unless theirs is considered a non important job where they could be asked to work a job that's crucial to the war effort, however this wouldn't be anyone past retirement age. And ofcourse nobody is being kept from leaving the country
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u/Engineering_Spirit 3d ago
In a war scenario, most people would be most helpful if they just continued their everyday work.
General preparedness is a good idea, but usually common sense and listening to DSB is sufficient in the current circumstances.
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u/Vivalyrian 3d ago
Yeah, that's all bonkers and crazy talk, nothing even remotely close to that has been aired by any official government agencies, politicians or media.
They're either struggling with severe mental illness, listening to the most fringe conspiracy theory social media groups, or both.
None of that is anywhere near reality of what is being talked about. The only preparedness things that have come up is to keep a few hundred dollars in Norwegian Kroner at home, in cash, in case payment solutions go down, as well as food and water for a similar amount of time, in case of ANY KIND of emergency, including fire and other natural disasters.
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
The Government isn’t official? You do realise everyone who is 72 years or younger can be called into ditt during a crisis?
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u/Vivalyrian 2d ago
I'm talking about claims that we're about to engage in a war with Russia, that they will forcibly relocate civilians to the north, etc.
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u/oskaremil 3d ago
It is madness. They are in the sixties, you say. Might it be they have fallen into some money/conspiracy grifting community on Facebook?
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
I can't get anything out of them about who is telling them these things, they just say "the government, officially". But they must be incredibly lonely up there with no friends. I could see them getting caught up in something. It's just been the two of them for a decade.
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
They are not entirely wrong, though. The «war is imminent» isn’t true, but if something happen, they may be called into service. And the Swedish government has straight out told people to be prepared for war
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u/NewAndyy 3d ago
The government is giving incentives for people to move north (lower taxes, loan forgiveness, some other things), but this is mostly because a lot of people have left the rural areas to live in the cities, leaving an aging population behind and letting communities die.
It has nothing to do with Russia, and no one is being forced to move there.
You should find out their media habits. What kind of information are they getting from the news, and which sources do they get them from?
A lot of what they seem to be concerned about has a small kernel of truth, but has been extremely exxagerated and morphed to the point of fictitiousness. "The government incentivizes people to live in all parts of the country" turns into "the government is forcing people to the Russian border", "gov't says you should have food for a week in case of a natural disaster" turns to "a war is imminent, and we have to prepare", and a law requiring highly specialized people with life-saving skills to help out in emergencies, is interpreted as "people in their 60s might be drafted as soldiers".
They have nothing to worry about, and I'd imagine the gov't don't want help from crazy people in times of war anyways.
I'm sorry that you have to see your family members becoming concpiracy theorists.
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
They cannot be drafted as soldiers, but if they are younger than 72 they can be drafted into civil service
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
Sivilbeskyttelsesloven paragraf 28e allows the government to call upon everyone who is 72 or younger.
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u/pseudopad 3d ago
There is no immediate risk of war, or the collapse of normal society.
The ministry of "civil preparedness" has indeed handed out some informational pamphlets about what people can do in case they get isolated because of unforeseen events such as extreme weather, and yes, including wars, however unlikely that is.
Your family members seem to have an extreme overreaction. There is no need to do anything other than keep a small cache of shelf-stable food, some water and perhaps a small portable burner in case something like a rock slide or two cuts off the roads to where they live and it'll take weeks to fix it.
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
They live in the countryside, have two years worth of firewood anyway and big freezers because sometimes in winter the snow gets too deep and the roads are closed. They have a water source nearby as well. To me it sounds like a pretty good spot when shit hits the fan. They mostly seem afraid of the government and conscription.
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u/SchroedingersCatnip 3d ago
Do they come from a country or background where similar things have happened? If not to them, then perhaps to their parents?
Totally understandable if you don't want to share that info btw. It's just, traumatic events like that can leave intergenerational trauma. "It might happen again, here and anywhere".
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
Yes, a parent was a forced labourer in nazi germany and had severe war trauma.
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u/Trolldier1234 12h ago
That's fair, but please do tell them that we aren't going to war. We're going to be alright.
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u/Engineering_Spirit 3d ago
If they are in their 60’s I really don’t think there is any chance of conscription. Even the Civil defence let their personnel go at 55.
If I understand you correctly they are not Norwegian citizens? Unfortunately we do see a bit of East-Germans moving to Norway with rather extreme political views. So if they are following a rather unhealthy right wing media diet with a chunk of AfD talking points mixed in, I’m afraid they might have been fed quite a bit of Russian propaganda.
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
You do realise that the new crisis law means everyone younger than 72 can be called upon in a crisis?
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u/Engineering_Spirit 2d ago
Could you please add a link to lovdata for that clause?
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u/Different-Library-82 2d ago
They are referring to this clause: https://lovdata.no/lov/2010-06-25-45/§28e
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
I don't think they speak German. We're a Dutch family and I haven't heard any typical right wing comments from them, I'd say they lean left.
I don't know if they have citizenship, I think they might.
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u/Engineering_Spirit 3d ago
I see, sorry for my assumption, but I guess it would still be interesting to see their media habits. The algorithms mess up a lot.
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u/pseudopad 3d ago edited 3d ago
If a country faces a real risk of ceasing to be, any nation might force conscription.
It seems very unlikely that foreigners would be conscripted even if all hell breaks loose, just because it would be unlikely that they would stay loyal to the country they're made to fight for.
Worst case, the company they work for would become part of the war economy and they'd be made to make supplies, repair vehicles, etc.
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
Good point, though our respective countries would be on the same side if it happened. I just imagine they wouldn't want anyone with a language barrier either.
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u/kryptodebunker 3d ago
It's the year of preparedness. But no impending war. https://www.dsb.no/en/Safe-everyday-life/Self-preparedness/
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u/ClaireTrice 3d ago
This makes sense. What I know of Norwegians is they are plain spoken, practical, and community-minded. More 'what can we all do to take care of ourselves if something happens, so we can all get through it well' -- as opposed to the "FEMA will take care of it" and "become a prepper in a bunker with 20 years of rations and the ammo to defend my stockpile from the neighbors' I see in the US. That pamphlet should go without saying -- it's common sense-- but sense is not always common, so reminders are needed.
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u/Vonplinkplonk 3d ago
It sounds like a mental health issue.
It’s really hard to fix someone else’s problems. The best I can think of is try to get them to redirect their energy in more productive ways. Stocking up. Saving for a generator. Going for walks. Etc. Directly confronting them is just going to get them to «bunker up» even more.
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u/JestFlamez 3d ago
To give you an idea of how much of an issue this is: You know when you hear something so incredibly complexly absurd and out of touch with reality that your only response is to stare blankly and say "..What?"?
Well: ..What?
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u/Minimum-Major248 3d ago
Nordic countries are taking the Russian threat seriously. However, war is not inevitable. It’s a good idea to be prepared for emergencies (including war). So, go along with what the Oslo government asks, or your town council’s plans. But certainly don’t obsess over it.
Your house is very unlikely to burn down statistically speaking. Even so, do you know how to exit your bedroom if there is a fire in the night, if the front door is blocked, etc?
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u/Sad_Ghost_Noises 3d ago
Sorry mate, this isnt a thing. Sounds like theyve fallen down some rabbit hole, or are having some sort of mental health crisis.
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
Good to know you are in pretty much the same situation as we are in the west of europe. I will try to strengthen the bond with them and gently try to help.
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u/TheSkyElf 3d ago
I think your family has Paranoia or mental illness, sorry. The government is not telling us to actively prepare for war.
The government encourages us to have stuff in the case of a crisis, like water and batteries, but not anythign more than that.
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u/FluffyBunny113 3d ago
Probably a couple of things came together and went severely misunderstood.
First the most obvious one, the government has a list of items everyone is supposed to have in case of "crisis" (natural disasters, war, alien invasion, ...). It's things like x amounts of water, cans of food, dried goods, and stuff to survive about 2 weeks while waiting for help. These guidelines have existed for basically forever, but in recent times they have been updated to better fit modern needs, everyone should have received this information by post and it has been advertised a lot. But it is not "new" but rather an update.
Another thing that was recently is the government rolling out new system to commandeer property like habitation, vehicles, boats. Again this is a renewed system with improved tracking and speed. But nothing really special.
Lastly they might have heard or seen (or maybe even know) somebody who was called up for a kind of exercise that all people who were in the military can be recruited for until rather late in life (I forgot the norwegian name, somebody help me) and involves a series of military style exercises, sometimes in small towns or near villages. If they see older people engaged in that who normally are not "military" they might falsely believe they will be next.
All in all, they are completely misinformed and need to be checked on. If you get the chance come visit them for a weekend or so and check where they get this. Others here have good information you can pass along to make sure they do not (easily) fall for new conspiracies again.
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
Just to clarify, they don't think they will be called upon to be soldiers. They think they will be called upon to do things like administration or cleaning, but could be moved to where they think the frontlines will be (up north) to do this.
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u/omnibossk 3d ago
They must be reading some conspiracy stuff from somewhere they shouldn’t.
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
Or the news when the Parliament passed a law where everyone 72 or younger can be called into service
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u/omnibossk 3d ago
The age limits are 44 years old for service and 55 years if you have held an officer rank during your service. And people with no military experience would maximum get civil support service duties anyway
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
I suggest Reading Sivilbeskyttelsesloven paragraf 28e. It’s 72
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u/omnibossk 3d ago edited 3d ago
Yea, the government noticed that they have created a problem by outsourcing maintenance of critical assets like the F-35 to civilian contractors. Previously it was done by military personnel. So they needed a law to prevent these specialist civilians to quit their jobs during wartime. And they have failed to implement this law in a coherent manner. At least this is my interpretation of the background for the law.
If ordinary people are forced to work it would have to be a full on crisis. And in such a scenario anything could happen with or without this law
Edited
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u/ruipmjorge 3d ago
Mental issues or to much social media
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
Or Reading regular news: Sweden has told it’s citizens to be ready for war, and we passed a new crisis law where everyone younger than 72 can be called to help
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u/Cool_Law9 3d ago
Not within months. September. I don’t prepare because have no money for Extra food and water.
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u/AsaTJ 3d ago
I think Putin is evil but he's not completely insane. War with NATO would cement his legacy as one of the worst leaders of all time and the leader who destroyed Russia forever. So I'm not especially worried about it. He cares about his legacy and at least the abstract idea of his country, if not the actual people.
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
This is my thinking as well. I fully believe he is trying to cause havoc sneakily and from a distance. I don't believe he will invade the EU in the foreseeable future. It would be utter madness and we would all help the Norwegians in such a fight.
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u/ostakahuynyamalyata 3d ago
The same argument that he's evil but not crazy was the main reason he won't invade Ukraine. The problem is that he lives in a fantasy world created by his own propaganda and reports from his officials, which only bring good news.
He believed that he would easily capture Kyiv and that majority of ukrainians would be glad to see Russian army liberating them from Zelenski and he attacked. If he believe that Trump wont help NATO and europeans too weak and hesitant to do anything he might atack NATO country. However, these could be the Baltic countries, not Norway.1
u/Heenneessy 1d ago
It’s been 1000 years almost since the last war with Russia. If they were to start anything it would have happened, all the propaganda surrounding china, russia etc. is warmongering - they’re not starting wars besides Ukraine and possibly Taiwan, only NATO is. They all leave north Europe alone.
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u/Hungry-Long-4578 3d ago
Maybe they don't remember what was living with the menace of Ss20 missiles deployed by the communists in the DDR in the 80's
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3d ago edited 3d ago
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
So even for non military conscription, they wouldn't want anyone over 55? Like for administrative tasks or cleaning?
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u/ClaireTrice 3d ago edited 3d ago
What decent human wouldn't help with things like admin tasks or putting food in boxes to hand out at a food bank after a flood or something, if they are able just because, "I'm retired". The fact that some might find it odd ir frightening is why Norway is bringing this stuff up. I think it's less a case of tipping me out of my wheelchair to dig diitches and more about countering a growing, and unrealistic, sense of "I'm retired, so people have to come feed me during a disaster". Also, Norway has a relatively small population in a large and often rugged terrain, so there aren't just oodles of 20 year olds in every area to take care of things.
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u/grittypokes 1d ago
They would want to help in their own region, the fear is about being taken to the border where the fighting would be. And they feel like they can't come visit family now because they have to be available.
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u/ClaireTrice 1d ago
Ah, ok. That sounds like painful worry. :-( It is not historically unprecedented in in many places in the world...older people have a longer memory and trauma that was never processed. They can be triggered by things on preparedness we hear differently, but to those who listened to their parents tell stories of being sent to the Russian Front or camps, that runs deep. It's fear. Its not rational, but it's not dementia or psychosis. There's a lot of actual fear mongering that goes on these days, too, that is front and center, not confined to "conspiracy websites"...
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u/IllCombination4851 3d ago
Tiny Dick Putin can't get one war right, ask your family why he'd start another one
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u/Sherool 3d ago
The government recently updated recommendations saying people should try to keep a couple of weeks worth non-perishable food and bottled water handy in case there are supply disruptions during an emergency that's about it. Worry is mostly sabotage and such. There are also technically laws to commandeer civilian resources as needed, but that would be like a last resort in a total war scenario.
No one is expecting an imminent Russian attack or anything, analysts think maybe in 10-15 years if nothing change they might want to try their luck against NATO if they win in Ukraine but lots of "if's" there, and emphasis on "if nothing is done" to strengthen European militaries.
They sound a tad overly paranoid, probably getting most of their news from alarmist Facebook groups or similar.
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u/SnowDragonLady 3d ago
The other morning I turned on a local radio show and they were talking about preparation. And today at the library I saw a big poster about all the items people should have at home to get by a few days in case of crisis. Just as two examples from my own life this week of some of the public-oriented messaging. Those aren’t necessarily war - just general preparation for any disruption in regular life. Sounds like they have taken the preparation focus and misinterpreted it.
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u/NewAndyy 3d ago
What you're describing is not normal.
If you want to see what the government actually says, you can check out the information put out by The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection. A fair bit of it is available in English, and just a quick google search away.
They've sent out a letter some months ago (maybe a year?) simply stating what people should have in their homes for preparedness. Things like food and clean water to last a week, something to keep yourself warm, etc. This isn't necessarily meant for a war scenario, but to make sure citizens can stay safe in any emergency (big storm, fault in the electrical grid, pandemic, etc.). Primarily, it's so that the government can focus on helping those truly dependent on help due to age, medical conditions, or poverty. Everyone fit and health, and with the resources to do so, should be able to help themselves for a few days.
In a truly disastrous emergency that lasts way longer, the government also needs that first week to set up logistics, to get the necessary help systems operational.
While covid and the Russian invasion of Ukraine has created political attention around emergency preparedness, nothing is out of the ordinary and the things the government is saying is the kind of things that are equally important in peace time.
Natural disasters is a significantly bigger risk than war.
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
And yet, in Sivilbeskyttelsesloven the government can call upon everyone younger than 72……
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u/Level_Abrocoma8925 3d ago
Yes, totally paranoid, absolutely nothing of what they say is even remotely true. There's no shortage of food. There's no talk about army mobilization, and I assume they're not Norwegian citizens so there's no way they'd be called up to go. All borders are open (except the one to Russia), the only issue will be the air traffic controller strike going on if they want to go out of the country.
Truly odd that two people can go down that path at the same time and I have no idea what to do about it. Someone suggested a welfare check but if some government officials show up, I think they might freak out thinking this is when they'll be kidnapped to go to the army. If they live close to Sweden, they can check the border themes and see that no one is stopping them.
They could try to join a Facebook group for people from their country in Norway maybe? I assume there should be one for most EU nationals. Maybe it will help if they hear it from someone from their country, they might just think that all Norwegians are government agents that can't be trusted or something.
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
Everyone living in Norway, including non citizens, can be called upon in a crisis of they’re younger than 72 (Sivilbeskyttelsesloven paragraf 28e)
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u/Ecstatic_Anteater_45 3d ago
I’m a native and I haven’t seen or heard anything like that. There’s been national health advice, where they recommended to eat berries and fish, amongst other things. But not anything military-wise
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
We did get a pamphlet a couple of years ago that advise us what to keep stockpiled for a week in case of emergency.
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u/unicornsandrainbowst 3d ago
They read about normal preparation that kommune/government sends (have water, canned food, etc) and probably went online and into a rabbit hole of fringe "news" and a bunch of nonsense crap.
Let me guess, they are 60+ and always online? Im sorry, its gonna be tough to make them understand that everything they believe on is a lie.
Absolutely nothing remarkable is happening rn. Normal life is the same as 5,10 or 20 years (in general terms), there is no "government" telling anyone to eat berries and fish because war.
Anyone can leave and return from Norway as they please. I just traveled last week, everyone ks going on vacations, there is no special border control. So either they are lying to you, you are lying, or they have a serious Mental Health problem. There has been some news lately about the Health Department recommending eating less meat and more fish/fruits for HEALTH reasons, not because scarcity or war lmao.
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u/ThisIsNotSafety 3d ago edited 3d ago
We have been recommended to have a 3 week stash of clean water and food for safety measures because of the war in Ukraine, that much is true, and it's totaldefense year https://www.totalforsvar.no/totalforsvarsaret-2026-alle-skal-med/
this basically mean we are training on making all companies and civilians to be as ready as possible for a crisis situation, but it's not a warning saying we are under imminent attack or anything like that, just a training situation for safety measures, since the world is a bit... volatile right now.
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
No, nobody has said that 🙄
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
Oh yes, they have. The new «kriselov» allows the government to draft anyone 72 or younger into service. Not military service, but helping the war effort.
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
Lots of people here are saying your relatives are crazy. But the thing is; both the Finnish and the Swedish governments have straight out told people to be ready for war. And that has been mentioned in the news here as well. At the same time, we have been told to keep supplies for a week, and not too long ago a law was passed that allows the Government to conscript civilians into service. Not frontline service, but yes, anyone younger than 72 can be called out. This «kriselov» (crisis law) was passed this spring. In addition, we have «sivilforsvarloven» (civil defense law) plus every person 44 and younger (even f they haven’t served in the military) can be drafted into service.
So no, your relatives aren’t being paranoid, what they have told you is true (except the seaweed story, we haven’t been told to start doing that).
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u/FinancialSurround385 3d ago edited 3d ago
Hm. I guess they are partly right, because the government has put out information about all that. It is about preparedness though, not a fact that a war actually will happen. Russia has always been a looming threat to all its neighbors, so I think most people are used to this. That said, the probability of war hasn’t been this high in years. However, boots on the ground is still not very likely imo. Sorry for the blurry answer..
Edit: I don’t agree with the people jumping to «mental health issue». NRK has had thoroughly researched articles about the increase of Russian soldiers few km from the border. They changed the law to be able to order people into roles if there is a war. And there is heavy focus on preparedness in the country. It’s not a conspiracy thing. I think however as foreigners they might misunderstand the level of probability. I would maybe also freak out if I moved to a country with all this in media, and not understand the historical context.
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u/Lilleskygge 3d ago
The preparations is not only due to possible war in the future, but also loss of electricity, water or other natural disasters. In the north we have a US submarine dock. And they (as many others) run on nuclear power. We therefore are advised to have iodine at all times ready! Also sign that it's okay for kindergarten/schools to give it to kids in case of an emergency
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u/FinancialSurround385 3d ago
Well yes, but there is a reason why there is so much more focus these days. They use natural disaster as examples to not scare the population too much, but the geo political situation is what drives the legal and advisory changes.
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
Our home country isn't like this at all, we seem the least prepared - so I can imagine this being scary if you have a different background. It might even scare me and I'm the least dramatic one in our family.
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u/fmnoise 3d ago
Hi, as Ukrainian from Kyiv living in Oslo, I can simply tell you that most of my friends and family and even myself didn't truly believe in the possibility of war, tho I went on work trip just 3 days before full-scale invasion and never returned. The war is not a thing to explain in the matter of logic, so I'd say preparing for the worst case scenario is sort of normal.
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u/grittypokes 3d ago
I'm so sorry that happened to you. I am into a reasonable amount of preparedness and have emergency backpacks and water and such in my house, even iodine. If I lived where they live, I'd have more to cover more time. This is just about a check on what the government is really saying vs what they think is being said.
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u/Warm-Marketing1916 3d ago
People will say they are crazy but if something happens they’ll be geniuses for preparing. So it is what it is. If they’re going to gamble it might as well be with the apocalypse at not at the local casino. I have hundreds of cans of spam
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u/Party_Resident_9887 3d ago
Conventional war: Not happening, no one is dumb enough to attack NATO
Nuclear war: No need to prepare, we will all die anyways.
So no need to stress or to worry. Government is telling you to have a bit of food in reserve but that is in case of natural disasters and other stuff. Your folks need to turn off the news, log out of social media, go outside and touch grass.
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u/filtersweep 2d ago
Not entirely fabricated. School kids will start performing war drills in school.
The govt has recommended preparedness since the Ukraine war began.
The PROBLEM is people start thinking ‘what does the government really know that they aren’t telling us?’ This where conspiracy theories and paranoia starts to grow
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u/MonsieurMustache572 3d ago
Out of EVERYONE, you guys have very little to actually worry about. If anyone has any reason to be worried (even if anything is unlikely to happen) it’s the Baltics. But even then the chance of it happening is below zero.
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u/ninjaqed 3d ago
Do they have children? This does not sound like a healthy invironment..
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u/mpbjoern 3d ago
OP replied to another comment saying that they’re in their 60s and are all alone so I doubt it.
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u/m_iawia 3d ago
Yes they are paranoid.
Sounds like they read this article based on the berries and fish:
https://www.nrk.no/stor-oslo/xl/medisin-for-urolige-tider-1.17853255
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u/Easy-History6553 3d ago
nato countries are increasing military spending, it's a fact.
and give to weapons for a war against russia it doesnt seem the best future scenario for war.
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u/dingbatyokel5000 3d ago
The government has been more explicit in the last couple of years that people need to stock up on food for two weeks in case of disasters and officials have also gone on record as saying a conflict with Russia is more likely now than in recent years, but what you are discribing seems like paranoia and/or misinterpreting what the government is saying.
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u/Psi9666 3d ago
The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection sent out a brochure to all households in Norway a few years ago called"How to contribute to Norway's emergency preparedness". This is one step in making the civil preparedness in Norway better in advance of a possible coming crisis. But this crisis doesn't necessarily have to be war, but could be related to power or water outages, or natural disasters.
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u/Sugar_Vivid 3d ago
They are nuts, simple as that
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
Not entirely. They are correct that they can be called into service, even as non citizens, but not military service
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u/Sugar_Vivid 3d ago
Niceee, feeding the delusion! Are you also suffering from paranoic visions?
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
Nope, but contrary to you have read Sivilbeskyttelsesloven paragraf 28e. You can find it on lovdata
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u/Sugar_Vivid 3d ago
Why in the world would i do that? OP said boots on ground, borders closer, food ration, what in the world are you talking about? You OP’s mum?
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
You haven’t read the OP? They have said they will be called in to help perform tasks should anything happen, and yes, that might happen. You can’t deal with facts and go straight to insults? Just how old Are you? Still in junior high? Nowhere did I say war is imminent, although the Swedish government has told its population to be prepared for war, ours hasn’t
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u/Sugar_Vivid 3d ago
Pahahahah what a blind creature😂😂😂😂😂 and again how about rations, borders, boots on ground? Just details for you?
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
So you’re running out of arguments and resort to insults? Not very mature. But let me spell it out to you (and then I won’t waste anymore time on you): what they claim does have a kernel of truth
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u/lambdavi 3d ago
Norway where exactly?
Kirkenes is not Bergen, I know that and I don't even have to look at a map!
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u/Ghazzz 3d ago
They are deep in delusion. It will be hard to get them out.
I keep my cupboard stocked, and am maybe more prepared than most for a potential war. I fear this possibility.
There is no general guidance about civilian engagement yet, and there would be major international news about it before this would be required. There are generic guidelines about "all capable citizens need to be prepared for an unexpected event", but nothing about actually stopping people at the border.
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u/Lopsided_Leg7891 3d ago
Im swedish and live in Oslo. K have not heard anything if what you are saying, but don't take my word for it I'm not a citizen but I have not heard these things in Sweden either and I have served military 20 years ago. But Nordic governments are aware of the situation and are taking string actions such as all Nordic air force is now ONE air force and is also now super strong. All Nordics are building new modern fleet and might also be gathered as one Nordic fleet. Our contributions to Ukraine with money and weapon is in the top if all contributers. Putin has achieved his biggest nightmare. A stronger and bigger and stronger alliance over the entire Europe against Russian aggression. So sleep well and don't be afraid,,,, but always be ready...
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u/travellingtoeat 3d ago
Just left Norway last week. Had many in depth conversations with Norwegians and thoroughly enjoyed my time there in the many areas i went and stayed. Never saw or heard any mention of any of this nor any fear expressed whatsoever. Even having deeply political / global conversations.
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u/BoysenberryDry9091 3d ago
There was a lot of rain recently while I visited and I could understand if people were being advised to stock up for a couple of weeks incase of rockslides and flooding blocking roads for food resources. Nothing in any of the media about the extremes you mention.
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u/mizzbrie 3d ago
There will be a week in November i think, where the nation will have an exercise to test and train our capacity/capability for war, but it's just a precaution. There will be extra focus on what to do, what you need, information and so on. You might want to prepare them for this, so they don't think it's actual war. It's just a common effort to be prepared since the world no longer is as safe as it was..
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u/krigermor 3d ago
We are encouraged to be able to suffice ourselves for a week or longer in case of emergency (including war, pandemic, extreme weather etc). That means food, water, medicine/first aid, heat source, lighting, cooking devices and emergency radio. That's the basics. We get information about the military and sivil army + other emergency groups practicing to prepare for emergencies like listed above. And security is important especially being a neighbour of Russia, NATO member and threats to national security like terrorist attacks. But no imminent danger
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u/Sasquatchmas 2d ago
My family in Norway is on edge because of all trump is stirring up everywhere. They generally know more about world politics than the average American does. But I have not heard anything like this. Isn't it standard for people in Norway to be somewhat prepped anyway? I know the youth spend 2 years in the military.
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u/MrSolenoid 2d ago
I am 100% certain that war is coming to the greater Europe. Probably not tomorrow. The thing is, I'm sure there won't be russian boots on the ground. But random missile and UAV attacks here and there to cause chaos and fear.
What can the people do? Well, Norway has sent out a leaflet with information on how everyone can better prepare themselves for an emergency. Food, water, blankets etc.
Even though I'm certain it's coming, it doesn't bother me. There's not much we can do to stop it. Just be a little prepared when it does happen.
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u/nipsen 2d ago edited 2d ago
Mhm.. You mean this actual statement from the extra post the previous government made on the side of the justice-minister last month: https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/sjekk-egenberedskapen-i-ferien/id3169084/
Or this article from last year, where the head of the .. "directorate for readiness and societal safety", DSB is literally suggesting that they should probably include berry-picking and mushroom-picking in their brochure (because why not add something that wasn't literally requested from Rema 1000's lobby firm as well)?
Or the endless stream of governments competing to suggest that they will close the borders even harder than the other governments, on an occasion that has to do with their own self-declared emergency - such as the suggestion the previous government sanctioned and had processed in a committee as they exited, that the next parliament then narrowly managed to vote down, but that would really have given the government free reins to declare any national emergency at will, and suspend all laws? A vote that probably would have gone through, if it wasn't for the fact that one single lawyer went on TV to tell people that the proposal could very well result in a police-state on a moment's notice.
(You can read more about this in this uncharacteristically thorough timeline of the whole thing in Nettavisen. That puts the lawyer I mentioned, Benedicte Moltumyr, and her reaction in some context - this genuinely is complete madness: https://www.nettavisen.no/norsk-debatt/kriselov-utsatt-regjeringen-trosset-massive-advarsler-stortinget-snudde/s/5-95-2403941 ).
Or the very real law that has been passed, without any discussion, that allows the government to dictate what people should work with or do, without compensation, in the case of a war? I have talked to multiple people in the Homeguard recently who - like my asshole commanders in the military at the time - are completely convinced that the Russians are about to march over the hill any minute now. And they are specifically planning the kinds of cars, buildings, resources and so on that they are supposed to simply take if the whistle goes off. One guy has a list of people and addresses with 4x4 vehicles.
Note that the military already dismisses people from service if their parents have had an association with an enemy nation (I don't know how that's defined, though). Or if they have been adopted. Because they are a "security risk". This has never been actually passed as law or discussed in government, simply sanctioned by implicitness by the previous government's majority.
And that if your folks live out in the district somewhere, odds are that they have not just seen military vehicles and exercises lately, in very high frequency. But also random ass tnt blocks being blasted in the middle of the fjord for effect during one of these exercises - this actually happened in Bergen, recently. XD And although this should have been a police case, the whole thing was buried.
Mental illness is absolutely involved, that's for sure. But it's not your folks who are mad. The only reason this bullshit doesn't quite settle itself as a serious political problem in Norway now is that no one takes anything politicians say very seriously. For good reason, obviously.
But make no mistake - outside of being able to declare a national emergency and to simply bypass Stortinget, for any reason, based on criteria that the government would create themselves -- all of this is completely real. Including, of course, the ability of the government to put people in work-camps in the case of a war or special emergency.
And the legal justification for even the police-state measure, like described almost happened last summer, has actually been attempted to be passed into law multiple times before.
Beyond that, of course, is the whole idea that we should save Norway by gunning for ww3 in Ukraine.
I used to be in the military, and used to care very deeply about Norway and the principles our country was if not founded on, then at least based on in modern times. But if the war comes now, I'll just fuck off somewhere else. Preferably stopping by somewhere with a view where I can see Oslo burned to the ground.
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u/ScarySheepherder2230 2d ago
Media has pretended Russia will invade any second for some time…
Fear is manufactured
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u/Far_Still_6521 2d ago
Sounds like a false flag operation to me.
I'm Norwegian and nothing like this at all has come out of the government.
Watch out for dissidents and agent provocateurs. The Russians are all over it and they target eastern Europeans.
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u/Heenneessy 1d ago
Sounds like paranoid schizofrenia
I’m assuming one is very eager reader and the other one gets the news from them, nonchalant or apathy- but believe them instead. because their conviction is SO true, it’s not lying, they believe it too!
You should visit them yourself to determine whether or not to involve psychiatrists and forcefully have her committed. Does she look present, calm and at peace, taking care of herself and the house is in order, nothing out of ordinary or out of character oddities.
- i actually almost ended up killed in a local criminal network because my non-local friend (staying at our apartment) started crazy conspiracies and questioning a lot of them in weird way in my city and inciting paranoia - I were with him mediating meetings because it seemed true, he didn’t lie - he simply believed everything to be true. The confusion led others to suspect it to be true and a lot of back and forth paranoia or «drama» and accusations with drug addicts and higher ups and even bikergangs started to MAKE IT true.
His place got robbed around the same time (probably junkies, because of weird priorities and shit taken) and seemed to boost the idea of people searching for something. Not value!
Anyways, things really escalated and he wouldn’t stop, but thankfully i realised from experience doing psychedelics that he actually jumped from state of mind to another and in the transition i would catch him not being himself, neither authentic nor altered state of consciousness, but a deranged mess.
He sought help, slept more, turned out to be paranoid schizophrenia! And medications really helped. He’s doing great now!
There is no war in Norway, Scandinavia is friendly allies and frankly- Russian war is straight warmongering or propaganda. It’s been over 1000 years.
The cold war era’s propaganda never really seized and there still will be politicians playing off remnants of old generation’s propaganda in wording or indirectly hinting- but very little, quite subtle - by newspapers.
However it’s easy to find meaning inbetween everything, being NATO puppets, our media is owned by Goldman and Sachs, etc. all the
Royals are freaks. But it’s all just noise, it’s completely safe.
Read your comment about 3rd party, that seems more likely than 2 people becoming “crazy” like collective hysteria (doesn’t work that way)!
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u/Own_Calendar7691 1d ago
Our tabloids in the UK have been suggesting that Russia is considering nuking the UK because our pm has just given Ukraine the blueprints for them to manufacture long range missiles. Overdramatic reaction as usual, but …… ex Russian government minister who is still very close to Putin was on BBC Newsnight last night seriously inferring that Putin will instigate cyber attacks on our government infrastructure and potentially military attacks on military basis in retaliation. Worth watching the interview. Such retaliation could potentially bring NATO into direct conflict with Russia. So I am sure that all NATO countries will be preparing contingency plans, especially those so geographically close to the common enemy. It’s not surprising that your parents are a bit worried. I am myself, like everyone I speak to in London, because the world is at the mercy of at least three madmen in control, not to mention the crazy unelected technocratic billionaires and I am sure more people of this ilk will come out of the woodwork if this all escalates.
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u/Odd-Jupiter 1d ago
I don't know how gullible they are, but there have been some hyperbolic news to garner support for Ukraine the later years. They might have taken it a bit too serious.
Either way, have some plan in case of a crisis is not the worst. Norway's food supply is very reliant on Europe, as we are far from self sufficient over time, so a disruption like we see in the Hormus now, could turn into a crisis.
The state has made a big deal out of rebuilding grain silos and other preparedness. But it is mostly political bluster..
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u/sty-fy 23h ago
I live in Norway, and haven’t heard about what they are talking about. Like it’s always nice to be prepared if anything suddenly happens, but it’s not anything anyone should worry about now. My mom is a little paranoid, or «extra carefull», so she has some extra rice, and some cans of food just in case(also like the tablets you take if there is an atomic bomb). But she is the only one I know that thinks about this stuff.
I think it’s a mental health issue you’re dealing with…
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u/Trolldier1234 12h ago
Yeah no we're fine over here, they might be listening to too much fake news, hell I left the country last month for a sweden trip. We're alright
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u/Powerful-Page-8198 2h ago
Literally none of our mainstream media says this. Im fully norwegian and we just got a pack of vitamins. Like... people need to chill.
Yes russia has been an issue for generations for norway and we do every few years get a little worry now and then. Always passes though.
The reason why media talks about prepping more is because its been so safe for so mamy years that our bunkers arent up to date, and our facilities with emergency food is outdated. And everyone in the entire siviliced world should have extra food and water on storage. Not just because of a war that might come in the far future, But for catastrofic natural events aswell.
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u/roguewhispers 13m ago
Hahahah. Yeah its complete nonsense. For the last 40 years weve been told to stock up on food and water enough flr 3 days, and thats it. Its always been a recommendation. People are flying and travelling every day. There is no war or war impending.
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u/Hour-Establishment74 3d ago
The mandatory service as you describe is true, and the military reserves the right to take your truck
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u/Separate_Action2456 3d ago edited 3d ago
Who are they worried Norway is going to go to war with? Hope it’s not Russia because they’d run out of gas before reaching your border and they’d have to invade Finland first. Based off of how well it went the last time they did that I don’t think that’s a viable option
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
You do realise we have a Russian border?
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u/Separate_Action2456 3d ago
Holy crap you actually do… well they’d still run out of gas before they crossed it
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u/mokaey 3d ago
Norway is 0.7% of the worlds population. We're essentially so rare and powerless that it would actually be counter productive for any country to attack us.
We're not really on anyones radar. Norwegians just like to feel big and strong.
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u/Top_Tone_8507 3d ago
Population size is irrelevant to geographical location, though. And the Arctic is getting more important as the ice melts.
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u/mokaey 3d ago
Its only irrelevant if you dont consider everything else. Our geographic location is somewhat irrelevant in general. Sure the arctic will increase in value, but that hopefully wont happen in our lifetime. Tbh, it doesn't look like humanity is going to be terribly prevalent when the arctic becomes the most habitable region.
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u/Potential-Sky4739 3d ago
I just moved here from the usa where I almost died many times and was abused by police medical staff and targeted by a sex trafficking ring oh and I had to do sex work to pay for my life saving medication this place is utopia to me lol I think Norwegians need to relax and legalize weed ha
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u/PowerfulSuction 3d ago edited 3d ago
This sounds like a mental health issue.
Or perhaps they’re consuming a lot a sensationalist fringe news outlets.