Friendship towns Vadsø and Murmansk send fire trucks to the opposite sides of the war in Ukraine
On paper, they are still friendship towns on each side of the Norwegian-Russian border. This week, both Vadsø and Murmansk sent one fire truck each to Ukraine. The one from Murmansk went to illegally occupied Donetsk.
25 Norwegian fire trucks, rescue vehicles and ambulances are this winter to be delivered as aid to Ukraine. The first few have already arrived and are in service with local medics and fire brigades.
The fire truck from Vadsø is likely the one with the longest drive.
Today I start the 4000 km drive to donate this fire truck from Vadsø Fire Dept. to our firefighter colleagues in Ukraine together with @NorwegianAidUkr Wish me luck!Please donate to the cause:https://t.co/Pl3Ypd0SV0https://t.co/L6UsyCKJ4BVipps: 746679 pic.twitter.com/jhCvNzOJnJ
— Jakob N. Øien (@jnoien)
Jakob N. Øien drives south together with another fire truck, donated by Kirkenes, the town just next to the border with Russia in the north.
Both Vadsø and Kirkenes are among the municipalities in Northern Norway that have not abandoned their friendship agreements with Russian cities as a consequence of the war in Ukraine.
Kirkenes has a friendship deal with Severomorsk, the headquarters of the Russian Northern Fleet. Vadsø has an agreement with Murmansk, the largest city on the Kola Peninsula.
Murmansk also sent a fire truck to Ukraine, Governor Andrey Chibis could tell on his Telegram channel on Wednesday.
“Our new republics today need the support of their colleagues. We understand it,” Chibis writes.
Unlike the fire trucks from Norway, the one sent from Murmansk to Russian occupied Donetsk region was armored.
