The key facts

  • The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Norway's Chargé d'Affaires Bjørn Svenungsen on November 3 over the seizures of Russian property
  • The vessel Professor Molchanov was detained in Barentsburg on September 2 in a lawsuit by Naftogaz and Ukrainian enterprises
  • On October 28 the court rejected the appeal of the Arktikugol trust; further proceedings may take months

Diplomatic démarche over a vessel in Svalbard

On November 3, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Norway's Chargé d'Affaires Bjørn Svenungsen to Moscow and handed him a note expressing resolute protest against the ongoing seizures of Russian movable and immovable property in lawsuits filed by Ukrainian companies. According to Anadolu citing the Russian foreign ministry, the reason was the detention of the research vessel Professor Molchanov, which remains under arrest in the port of Barentsburg on the Svalbard archipelago: a Norwegian court placed the vessel under arrest on September 2 at the request of the Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz and a number of Ukrainian enterprises.

Legal outlook and environmental risks

According to the ministry, on October 28 the District Court of Nord-Troms and Senja rejected the appeal of the Russian state trust Arktikugol, and further proceedings may take many months. The Foreign Ministry pointed out that a prolonged winter stay of the vessel, which is not designed for such conditions, in the harsh Arctic climate could lead to its breakdown and serious environmental consequences.

Access to the archipelago and other seizures

Moscow called on Oslo to unconditionally comply with international law, including the provisions of the Svalbard Treaty, which guarantees citizens of the signatory states freedom of access to the archipelago. According to the ministry, the detention of the vessel has significantly hindered such access: after the restrictions introduced by Norway and the suspension of air traffic between Russia and Svalbard, the Professor Molchanov remained the only means of direct delivery of Russian personnel and necessary cargo to the archipelago. The Foreign Ministry also reported that on September 22 a Norwegian court seized five Russian properties in Oslo, and referred to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 2004 UN Convention on Jurisdictional Immunities of States. The ministry stated that it will continue efforts to have the seizures lifted, and that the Russian consul on Svalbard is assisting the crew members aboard the vessel.