🔶 Norway seizes a Russian ship in the Arctic

A Russian ship, the “Professor Molchanov,” was seized by Norwegian authorities in the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.

According to Svalbard officials, the seizure was carried out at the request of the Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz.

The move comes after an arbitration ruling in which Russia was ordered to pay compensation. Moscow has now accused Norway of “piracy.”

In a statement, it said the “Professor Molchanov” was seized by court order on Wednesday, September 2 (11 Shahrivar), and will remain in the port of Barentsburg for the time being. The statement added: “The legal steps and the court ruling are part of this company’s [Naftogaz] efforts to recover funds that were seized by Russia in 2014.”

The Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten also confirmed the action, citing one of the Svalbard police officials.

Lars Faus, governor of Svalbard, told the Norwegian TV network NRK that Norway will cooperate with the Trust Arktikugol company to provide assistance to the crew and passengers of this commercial ship.

According to Naftogaz, the company’s assets, particularly in the oil and gas sector, are located in the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014 in violation of international law.

The order to seize the ship was issued to enforce these outstanding financial obligations to Moscow. The 2023 arbitration ruling awarded Naftogaz nearly $4.2 billion in compensation for assets seized in Crimea.