The Barents Observer

With Russia's expansionist war a new security landscape has emerged also in the north, argues professor Njord Wegge. NATO's new members Finland and Sweden have, unlike Norway, no restrictions for allied operations. 

Russia is developing a fleet of naval icebreakers. But none of them took part in the Northern Fleet's expedition that this fall experienced great difficulties in navigating across the Northern Sea Route.

OpEd: Conventional wisdom holds that diplomatic channels are the last you should close in times of tensions. Up north, where small-state Norway borders empire-building Russia, you would think diplomats can help lowering tensions. At least on a regional level. The facts tell a different story. The Russian Consulate General in Kirkenes has no longer any role in diplomatic dialogue. https://lnkd.in/dVyfeB8v

Despite rapidly freezing Arctic waters, Moscow continues to send more than 20 years old ships without ice class to the Northern Sea Route. "They are compromising security," a Norwegian professors in ice navigation says.

Russia's Consulate General in #Kirkenes 🇳🇴 closes its door. The Foreign Ministry in Oslo confirms to the Barents Observer that there is ongoing dialogue about the number of deployed diplomats between the two countries.

Russian fishing vessels made hundreds of port calls to Tromsø, Båtsfjord and Kirkenes in 2023 and first half of 2024. Crew are disembarking and embarking day and night, but only one sanctioned item was confiscated, according to customs data obtained by the Barents Observer. 

"The building of an icebreaker will geopolitically strengthening our presence in the region," the governments of Sweden and Finland write in a joint declaration for extended cooperation.

“I replied that it was out of question for us to move. We had longlines to take onboard.”

For the first time in post-Soviet era is Russia deploying warships in the inner waterways east of Finland in a strategic exercise.

The Everest Energy used to be based in a Norwegian port and sail under Norwegian flag. Now it is operated by a recently establish India-registered enterprise and sails across Arctic waters as part of a shady Russian scheme established to bypass sanctions.