Ukraine brings
Unique experience of modern warfare, battlefield-tested technological solutions and a fast-moving innovation environment.
Partnership Programme
Northern Lights
From a reliable partner to a strategic ally: Ukraine's security partnership with the Nordic countries.
Northern Lights is a joint programme of the Sahaidachnyi Security Center and Ukraine's defence technology community, designed to deepen Ukraine's security partnership with the Nordic countries and to move it gradually from a ‘reliable partner’ model towards a ‘strategic ally’ model.
Get in touchThe Nordic countries are among Ukraine’s most consistent partners in the war against Russia. The next stage of cooperation should extend beyond military assistance to a shared understanding of threats, joint planning, joint defence innovation and production, and the long-term security architecture of Europe.
Our goal is to build a practical platform for Ukrainian–Nordic cooperation that combines analysis, training, institutional ties and defence technology projects in order to develop joint security capabilities.
Combining these strengths can produce a new quality of alliance.
The Nordic countries bring
Stable institutions, a mature defence industry, technological expertise, financial instruments and a strategic understanding of the Russian threat.
Programme pillars
01
Analytical work on joint capabilities
Producing policy papers, decision-oriented briefings and other analytical products on the capability gaps that Ukraine and the Nordic countries can close together.
02
Education programme: “The Nordics and the Arctic — security policy essentials”
A training track for Ukraine’s defence technology community, analysts and policy professionals.
03
Network of institutional partners
Building a circle of think tanks, universities, defence companies, innovation hubs, foundations, industry associations and government contacts across the Nordic countries that can help Ukrainian teams understand the region and become part of its ecosystem.
04
Working visits and consensus-building
A series of working visits to key Nordic countries to build broad political, expert, industrial and public consensus on long-term cooperation with Ukraine.
Northern Lights gives Ukraine’s defence technology community a structured entry point into the Nordic defence, innovation and policy ecosystem — through analysis, training, partner visits and direct access to the institutions shaping Europe’s future security architecture.
Within this initiative we look to establish strategic partnerships with leading representatives of Ukraine’s defence technology community who share our view of the importance of cooperation with the Nordic countries.
Join the initiativeAnalytical papers
Policy papers, decision-oriented briefings and other analytical products developed under the Northern Lights programme, published on a rolling basis.