CAMP JOMSBORG, POLAND — Ukrainian soldiers are training to combat Russia’s ongoing invasion of their country at a Viking-themed camp purpose-built on NATO soil.
Training at Camp Jomsborg in eastern Poland, roughly two hours from the border with Ukraine, is led by the Norwegians, whose Viking ancestors were famed for their warfighting and conquests throughout Europe. That heritage is visible across the training center.
When Business Insider visited the sprawling camp this summer, elements of that distinct warrior culture, Viking references and symbols, stood alongside drone labs, vast trench networks, shooting ranges, and mock training villages constructed to resemble the brutal battlefield awaiting Ukrainian troops when they return home.
Urban combat and fields of trenches
Entering the training camp requires driving along long, thin tracks among thickets of trees that hint at the scale of the project. The camp was built rapidly, felling 75,000 trees to create a large clearing in the dense forest, with piles of logs still heaped along the approach.
Norway says that the area is larger than 100 football fields and is the “largest camp the Norwegian Armed Forces has ever built abroad.” Construction took just a few months last year, with Maj. John, the S3 Operations Officer in charge of synchronizing the overall training operation, telling Business Insider that the camp was built “very fast.”
The training camp recreates many of the combat environments Ukrainian troops are most likely to encounter when they leave, such as trenches, forests, urban areas, and open fields.
Some of the large, cleared fields at Camp Jomsborg are used for training battles where Western forces simulate Russian attacks, often engaging Ukrainian soldiers with Soviet-designed tanks, armored vehicles, and motorcycles while also working with drones.
Other fields are marked by multiple large trench networks, where soldiers learn how to seize, protect, and hold them, including how to get in and out without incurring casualties. Norway says that hundreds of meters of trenches have been carved into the earth. In these areas, there are also mock Russian foxholes for Ukrainian soldiers to practice attacking and grenade throwing.
Another area of the camp hosts what looks like a Ukrainian village, with a fake gas station, shipping containers stacked to look like buildings that soldiers can move and fly drones through, buses, and overturned, burnt-out cars scattered about.
Soldiers also train in Jomsborg’s forested areas to prepare for woodland combat.
The camp has five shooting ranges, allowing hundreds of Ukrainians to train simultaneously. They also use a shoot house, a training structure that trains troops for fights inside buildings.
The training at Camp Jomsborg is designed to closely mirror combat, using laser systems to simulate a weapon’s effects, small explosive charges to mimic blasts, and stun grenades to further recreate battlefield conditions.
A drone airstrip facilitates drone use throughout training, and a drone lab allows soldiers to test, repair, modify, and 3D print parts, just as they do near the front. The space also gives Norwegian instructors a chance to study Ukrainian innovations and collect lessons for their own military.
Ukraine determines what its troops need to learn, while NATO instructors adapt the training alongside Ukrainian counterparts. The training program includes new recruits and experienced soldiers who can return to their units and share what they’ve learned.
Beyond the training grounds, the camp provides participating militaries with sleeping tents, a medical center, dining facilities, a chaplaincy, outdoor sports areas, and recreational halls.
During the World Cup, the Norwegian military hosted watch parties for its country’s games in its hall.
A Viking-themed camp
The camp is filled with references to the Vikings and Norse gods. Street signs throughout the camp include Thor Street and Odin Road, while Camp Jomsborg itself is named after a legendary Viking fortress.
The Viking imagery extends to the camp entrance, where a helmeted warrior and Viking ship greet arriving troops alongside the Ukrainian flag.
Molde said the legendary warrior brotherhood associated with Jomsborg, a fortress on the Baltic Sea, was known for its discipline and professionalism.
“That’s where the name comes from,” he said.
The Telemark Battalion, whose emblem is a Viking ship, leads the training at Jomsborg. The elite unit has deployed on combat missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and its battle cry is “to Valhalla!” In training, it emphasizes a “warrior mentality,” teaching troops to “thrive in harsh conditions.”
“We draw that warrior mentality from our Viking heritage,” John said, “and the Viking culture is very important for us.”
John said the battalion’s version of the “Viking mentality” isn’t about reckless aggression or “doing stupid stuff.” Instead, it’s about applying its strongest qualities within the ethical and moral standards required of modern soldiers.
Preparing for war
But while the Viking culture abounds at Camp Jomsborg, the training leans heavily on Ukraine, its people, and experiences.
Molde said that very early in the process, they decided the training should be “as close to Ukraine as possible” to give soldiers more training time and help instructors keep lessons up to date with the demands of a rapidly changing battlefield.
The battlefield changes so quickly that tactics and weaponry can become outdated in weeks, soldiers say.
As the fighting evolves, so does the camp. Instructors regularly update their tactics, equipment, and even the trench layouts to reflect changes at the front.
“Every minute, every hour we have them for training, it’s about life and death because we know that every time we ship those buses out, a percentage of those guys, which also ties relations to our instructors, they will, in a worst case, be dead,” Molde said.
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