Thomas Nilsen

Nuclear expert fears flooded radioactive dump sites in Siberia can threaten Arctic Ocean

Floodwaters in Tomsk region threatens to submerge the river banks in Seversk where highly radioactive liquid waste from the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons program for decades were injected into two unprotected underground reservoirs.
April 15, 2024

Norway "will not close the door." Continues visa-free agreement with Russian military stronghold

State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson with the Foreign Ministry in Oslo does not want to exclude that better relations with Russia could come. Meanwhile, the agreement stipulating visa-free travel continues for the 30-kilometers zone in Pechenga which is home to two of the most brutal brigades the Kremlin has sent to the war against Ukraine.
April 09, 2024

Finnair to link Helsinki and Ivalo with Kirkenes

The Finnish flag carrier starts flying to the Norwegian Barents Sea destination in next year’s summer program.
April 09, 2024

Norway steps up high north defense with fully equipped brigade in Finnmark

The Norwegian Army will expand from one to three brigades, of which two will be in northern Norway.
April 05, 2024

Acquitted son of Putin ally will use drone next time on adventure in Norway

"Absolutely," Andrey Yakunin replies when asked by the Barents Observer whether he will use drone next time on adventure in northern Norway and Svalbard.
April 05, 2024

They are frequently terror-bombing Ukraine. Today two of them were met by Norwegian fighter jets up north

"Around 10 am today two F-35 were scrambled from Evenes to identify Russian aircraft," says spokesperson Jonny Karlsen with the Norwegian Joint Headquarters.
April 03, 2024

Russia says it will start direct tourist voyages to Svalbard

Ildar Neverov, the leader of state-owned company Arktikugol, made the announcement about a direct sea route from mainland Russia to Svalbard at a seminar at the Humanitarian University in Moscow earlier this week.
April 03, 2024

Tiny amount of radioactive iodine measured in Tromsø

The Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA) underlines that the levels of Iodine-131 measured pose no harm to humans nor the environment.
April 03, 2024

The War troubles Nornickel as it struggles to shift to new markets

Consolidated revenue shrank significantly in 2023 for the Arctic giant metal producer as European buyers refuse to trade with the company that indirectly pays hundreds of millions of dollars in tax to Putin’s war economy.
April 01, 2024

Russia starts Friday with large-scale air attack on Ukraine, Tu-95 bombers from Murmansk active

Strategic bombers from Olenya airbase strike targets across Ukraine Friday morning in yet another massive terror attack against civilians and infrastructure.
March 29, 2024

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Thomas Nilsen is editor of the Independent Barents Observer with its news desk located in Kirkenes, northern Norway. He has a long experience in media cooperation across the borders in the high north of Europe, both as radio- and newspaper reporter all the way back to the days before the breakup of the Soviet Union. 

Nilsen has been editor of Barents Observer since 2009.

He was Deputy Head of the Norwegian Barents Secretariat from 2004-2009. Until 2003, he worked 12 years for the Bellona Foundation’s Russian study group, focusing on nuclear safety issues and general environmental challenges in northern areas and the Arctic. 

Thomas has been traveling extensively across northern Scandinavia and Arctic Russia since the late 80’s working for different media and organizations. He is also a guide at sea and in remote locations in the Russian north for various groups and regularly lectures on security issues, environmental and socio-economic development.

Thomas Nilsen studied at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Mobile: +47-90573143

thomas@thebarentsobserver.com
@nilsen.thomas