Putin and two of his closest allies are grateful to the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Norad for the aid provided last year.

Russia’s military allies received NOK 1.36 billion in Norwegian aid funds in 2025. This represented an increase of 6 per cent over the 2024 level. Ergo, aid to Russia’s allies increased more than Norwegian aid in general. Unless this is due to an error, it appears that Russia’s military allies are being prioritised over other purposes.

Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia’s military allies have received NOK 12.5 billion in Norwegian taxpayers’ money through the aid budget. In 2025, these allies received a total of NOK 1.36 billion. This is 33 per cent higher than what they received in 2014.

During the following three years (2015–2017), aid was somewhat lower, averaging approximately NOK 900 million. Thereafter, however, aid increased. Even after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, this aid continued to rise, and in 2025 it stood 10 per cent above the 2022 level.

When Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide are confronted with critical questions, the response is often: “We are following the situation closely.” If they are doing so, the figures show that they are sitting by and watching as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through Norad, increases aid to Russia’s strategic and military allies, at the expense of Norwegian taxpayers and the Norwegian welfare society.

Based on the 2024 figures, Document wrote about the issue on 27 March. There we referred to a number of questions we had sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Norad. Those questions remain unanswered.

Norway’s hidden gift to Putin: Billions to the ‘Axis of Evil’ while we ‘support’ Ukraine

This article is based on the 2025 figures that have now become available, and we have included Russia’s African allies.

China, Iran, Belarus and North Korea

Russia has 17 strategic and military allies. In addition to China, Iran, Belarus and North Korea, these comprise three countries in Latin America and ten countries on the African continent.

CRINK is an acronym standing for China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. It is a term used by Western analysts and security experts to describe the increasingly close co-operation between these states. They share a common objective of undermining and challenging the global influence of the United States and the West.

The countries co-operate closely to strengthen their military capabilities, including through North Korea and Iran supplying missiles, ammunition and technology for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. North Korea has even contributed personnel. They also provide one another with diplomatic and rhetorical backing in international forums such as the United Nations.

Russia has never received Norwegian aid directly, but China and Iran received more than NOK 47 million in 2025 — China NOK 31.7 million and Iran NOK 15.8 million. In China, most of the support goes to what Norad defines as “Environment and Energy”. Energy is a strategic resource. In Iran, the aid was channelled through the Norwegian Refugee Council (Flyktninghjelpen). This relieves the Iranian authorities, who admit refugees from Afghanistan who meet certain criteria, such as being Shia Muslims and speaking Persian, that is, refugees considered integrable by Iranian standards.

Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea, China and Iran have received more than NOK 1 billion in Norwegian taxpayers’ money for these purposes. In this way, the Norwegian state contributes to freeing up resources in these countries that can be used for other purposes.

North Korea did not receive Norwegian aid in 2025, but during the period 2015–2022 the country received NOK 86.5 million through the aid budget. Most of this was channelled through the Norwegian Red Cross, but also through multilateral organisations such as the United Nations World Food Programme and the United Nations Population Fund.

Belarus too, or White Russia (Hviterussland), as Norad still chooses to call the country, Russia’s close ally in Europe, received Norwegian aid last year. Admittedly not much, but NOK 8.2 million in aid funds found their way there, through the Norwegian Helsinki Committee and the Christian Democratic Party.

Venezuela–Cuba–Nicaragua

Russia’s three close allies in Latin America received a combined NOK 83 million in Norwegian aid funds last year, an increase of no less than 37 per cent from 2024. These three are Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.

Venezuela received NOK 55 million, 22 per cent more than in 2024. Aid to Cuba more than doubled, from just under NOK 11 million in 2024 to more than NOK 26 million last year. Nicaragua received NOK 2 million.

Despite the fact that the Maduro regime in Venezuela had already become China’s closest strategic ally in Latin America, where infrastructure is being built in exchange for payment in the form of oil, the Støre government has decided that Norway must commit heavily to emergency assistance. The money is channelled through the Norwegian Refugee Council, Save the Children Norway, the Norwegian Red Cross and Caritas Norway. In Cuba, too, it is Norwegian non-governmental organisations such as Norwegian People’s Aid and Caritas Norway that administer the funds. In this way, the authorities there, or in China and Russia, are able to free up equivalent resources that they can use for other purposes.

In addition, the far-left group The Latin America Groups in Norway (LAG) received NOK 7.1 million, an increase of 51 per cent from the previous year. This is a new record. The purpose of the group, as stated on the organisation’s website, is in practice to promote the interests of Latin American countries that oppose the United States. Altogether, LAG, which had 481 paying members last year, has received more than NOK 100 million through the Norwegian aid budget since the turn of the century. Document wrote about the group on 16 March.

NOK 100 million in foreign aid channelled to Marxist activism

Russia’s strategic allies in Africa

Russia has, together with China, increased its presence in Africa. Many Africans from these countries have already found their way to the front in Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities estimate that close to 30,000 foreign nationals are fighting on Russia’s side in the war.

A total of ten African countries are regarded as Russia’s allies. These received NOK 1.22 billion in Norwegian aid funds in 2025, up from NOK 1.15 billion in 2024.

Russia’s most important African allies are centred around states that receive extensive military assistance, have security agreements and engage in barter arrangements involving raw materials. These include Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which have formed a confederation known as the Alliance of Sahel States “AES”.

The military juntas, the so-called Alliance des États du Sahel, broke with Western partners, expelled Western forces, including Norwegian personnel, and entered into close security alliances with Russia, supported by the Russian paramilitary structure “Africa Corps”.

Norwegian forces left Mali in 2023. However, this did not prevent NOK 277 million in Norwegian aid funds from finding their way there in 2024 and 2025. Altogether, AES received NOK 359 million in Norwegian aid funds in 2025, up from NOK 345 million the year before.

The remaining Russian allies which have also expressed support for Russia in the war against Ukraine at the United Nations are, together with a corresponding description:

• The Central African Republic (CAR): One of Russia’s closest partners. Russian mercenaries have been deeply involved in protecting the government against rebels and have, in return, secured lucrative mining concessions for gold and diamonds.
• Algeria: A traditional and strategic partner. Algeria is one of the largest purchasers of Russian weapons and maintains established military and political co-operation with Moscow.
• South Africa: The African heavyweight maintains a strong strategic and economic partnership with Russia and participates in the BRICS co-operation framework, within which joint military exercises have, among other things, been conducted.
• Zimbabwe and Angola: Both countries have strategic partnerships with Russia that include arms agreements and co-operation in the fields of energy and mining.
• Libya: Russian forces and mercenaries have an increasing foothold in eastern Libya in order to support rebel General Khalifa Haftar in exchange for strategic influence in the Mediterranean.

Russia uses arms exports, grain donations and mercenaries to build influence and secure diplomatic support in the United Nations.

The Støre government is allegedly following this closely. Meanwhile, Norwegian aid funds continue to flow into the coffers of these countries.