Sandra Andersen Eira
Sandra Andersen Eira | |
|---|---|
 Sandra Andersen Eira in 2017 | |
| Member of the Sámi Parliament of Norway for Ávjovárri | |
Incumbent | |
| In office 2017–2021 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 June 1986 |
| Citizenship | Norwegian |
| Nationality |  Norway |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Ukraine |
| Branch | Main Directorate of Intelligence
|
| Years of service | 2022–present |
| Rank | Soldat (GUR) / Matros (Marines) |
| Battles / wars | |
Sandra Andersen Eira (born 21 June 1986)[1] is a fisherwoman[2] and Norwegian Sámi politician from Russenes in Porsanger Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway.[3] As of 2024 she is serving in the Ukrainian Marine Corps.
From 2017 to 2021, she served as a member of the Sámi Parliament of Norway (Sametinget), elected to the Norwegian Sámi Association from the Ávjovárri constituency.[4]
Following the end of her term in the Sametinget, she spent a year commuting between the United States and Norway, including expanding her fishing business and being featured in a documentary titled Sea Sisters.[5] During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she joined a mixed-British and American ranger squad;[6] she was part of the GUR as a Soldat and currently works in the Ukrainian Marines as Matros. As of September 2024, she was still fighting for Ukraine; she has been back to Norway at least once, for a few days, to attend a plenary session of the Sámi Parliament of Norway.[7]
Andersen Eira took part, along with her unit, in the battle of Moshchun, near Kyiv and on the frontline in Mykolaiv in March 2022[7] and was later deployed to Bakhmut, in the Donbas, for a brief period. She was deployed in Donetsk frontline in 2023 and was part alongside units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the battle of Krynky (2023/2024), a battle that left at least 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers dead or missing.[8] In 2024, Russia issued an arrest warrant against her on charges of being a "mercenary".[9]
On May 28, 2025, Norwegian broadcaster TV2 announced that Andersen Eira is expecting a child following her marriage to a fellow Ukrainian soldier in 2024.[10]
On June 24, 2025, she appeared as a guest on the Wolfgang Wee Uncut podcast, where she spoke about her experiences as a Norwegian volunteer soldier in Ukraine.[11]
References
- ^ "Sök personer". www.birthday.se. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
- ^ Nilsen Trygstad, Andreas (5 May 2017). "Skipper Sandra: Folk har mye å lære om holdninger fra sjøfolk". NRK. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ Reinhall, Lori Ann (28 August 2021). "A young Sámi woman lives a dream and makes a difference". norwegianamerican.com.
- ^ "Sametingsgruppa 2017-2021". nsr.n (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 3 August 2019.
- ^ Robert Larsen, Dan (10 January 2022). "Skipper Sandra (35) holder til i USA og driver forretninger i Norge". NRK (in Norwegian). Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ Haram, Ola (7 April 2022). "Sandra Andersen Eira kriger i Ukraina". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Sandra (36): Fremmedkriger i Ukraina og sametingspolitiker". Dagsavisen (in Norwegian). 14 December 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ C, Kyla (19 January 2023). "From the War Zone: A Foreign Fighter in Ukraine and Her Time on the Ground". Strike Source. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ "Russia Issues Arrest Warrant for Norwegian Ex-Politician". The Moscow Times. 9 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ "Norsk Ukraina-kriger er gravid: – Vi har en usikker framtid". TV2 (in Norwegian). 28 May 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "Wolfgang Wee Uncut – Norsk kvinne som kriger i Ukraina". YouTube. 24 June 2025. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
External links
- Sandra Andersen Eira at Sametinget