Norwegian MP Peter Frølich admits breaking export law to send drones to Ukraine
MP Peter Frølich says he illegally shipped civilian drones with thermal cameras to Ukraine, arguing bureaucratic delays endangered soldiers.
Peter Frølich, a 39-year-old Conservative MP, disclosed in his book that he deliberately violated Norway's export regulations to get civilian drones equipped with thermal imaging to Ukrainian forces in the summer of 2023. He coordinated the shipment through the volunteer organization Fritt Ukraina, which attempted to send the devices by ship before customs intervened under an outdated law. After receiving no response from authorities, Frølich decided to act on his own, later appearing on NRK to explain that the delay could have cost Ukrainian lives, while urging that his case should not become a precedent. The next morning the government said it would urgently examine the drone rules, and the regulations were swiftly revised to allow Norwegian NGOs to export such equipment to Ukraine legally.
Why it matters
The incident prompted Norway to modernize its drone export rules, affecting future aid to Ukraine.
In this story
