Operation Legio
Norway leads Operation Legio. Together with the other Nordic countries, the Baltic states, and Poland, we support Ukraine’s armed forces through donations and the training of land forces.
Background
Ukraine’s armed forces are in urgent need of personnel and equipment to defend the country against the Russian invasion. The main objective of our mission is to support Ukraine so that it can maintain its defence, win the war, or achieve a peace agreement on its own terms. This is a joint commitment to supporting Ukraine.
What is Norway doing?
We support the Ukrainian armed forces through donations and personnel training, to strengthen Ukraine’s overall defence capability. The support is to be provided as swiftly and effectively as possible. Therefore, during the summer of 2025, the Norwegian Army established Camp Jomsborg in Poland, near the Ukrainian border. The aim is to provide rapid and efficient training and education in Ukraine’s immediate vicinity.
All capacities are drawn from Brigade Nord, enabling Norway to supply what Ukraine needs within infantry, mechanised units, artillery, engineering, medical services, logistics, and command functions such as intelligence and communications. The operation forms part of Operation Ellisiv.
Operation Legio, also known as Task Force Legio, was established in 2024, and the mission is currently planned to continue until the end of 2026.
The operation is a joint initiative by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Ukraine. Norway has taken the lead, and the cooperation takes place at both the political and military levels and facilitates close coordination between all participating countries. The Norwegian contribution amounts to approximately 10 billion kroner.
The joint initiative was formalised in October 2025, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Brussels.Read more about this here.
The operation is responsible for leading, managing, and coordinating the support provided by the nine participating nations to Ukraine. This is done in cooperation with Ukraine, NSATU, and other relevant international coalitions. For the Norwegian Armed Forces, Legio is part of Operation Ellisiv, the Norwegian Armed Forces’ coordinated mission in support of Ukraine.
“This effort will involve many across the Armed Forces and the wider defence sector. It is a demanding mission, and initially it is the Telemark Battalion and the Army’s Rapid Reaction Force that are carrying the main burden of getting things underway,” says Brigadier Atle Molde, Commander of Task Force Legio.
Training phase
Training of Ukrainian personnel began in Eastern Norway in the summer of 2025. Additional training takes place in southern Germany, in cooperation with the United States. Camp Jomsborg in Poland was officially opened on 1 October 2025, although training had already commenced earlier.
“Towards Christmas, there will be two rotations of 100 Ukrainians receiving specialist, instructor, and leadership training—covering roles such as section leaders, platoon commanders, and company commanders,” says Molde.
The plan for 2026 has not yet been finalised.
