Their objective is to challenge the current legal and territorial status of the region and undermine Russia's development of natural resources, leader of FSB's Border Guard Service Vladimir Kulishov argues.
25 charging stations across the county of Troms and Finnmark will make even the remotest corners reachable in cold winter climate for electric car drivers.
In Rovaniemi, the largest city in Finnish Lapland, water will rise close to the peak at the end of the week. Flood warnings are also issued for Northern Norway.
Finnish tourism destinations are turning to virtual tourism to get around travel restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Research - partner contents
Fram Centre
Salve Dahle is inspired by the past, driven by the future, and lives for the pursuit of the unknown. Profile article 2020 is written by Christine Kristoffersen Hanssen.
Fram Centre
In 1893 the Norwegian researcher Fridtjof Nansen sailed his wooden schooner Fram towards the Arctic. He let the vessel freeze into an ice floe and drift, hoping that the natural east-west currents in the Arctic Ocean would carry Fram and her crew to the geographical North Pole.
Fram Centre
A creature just centimetre long causes major losses of farmed salmon and imposes significant costs on aquaculture. Moreover, this tiny creature poses a threat to salmon and char living in the wild, as well as other marine organisms. Why is that, and what can we do about it?
The Barents Observer Newsletter
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Russia pushes for more of the global cargo flow to go north. A new year-round port near Indiga in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, connected to the Belkomur railway, could be an attractive trade route across the Eurasian continent.
Commercial shipping on the Northern Sea Route starts earlier than ever before. By late May, a carrier had set out on the icy route without icebreaker escort.
New temperature maps for the endless stretches of Russian Arctic lands bear witness of unprecedented warming.
One year after the fatal accident with a nuclear-powered missile in the White Sea, Russia's weapon designers say a test launch the Poseidon nuclear powered underwater drone will take place this fall.
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Siste/ mest lest
Security
Embarrassing leaks about troop movements or secret operations should come to an end, the Russian President orders.
The US and UK naval group leaves the Barents Sea Friday evening after five days in waters where Russia's Northern Fleet normally exercises. The voyage marks a new age with U.S. Navy surface warships sailing in the north.
The "Sevmorput" will break its way through Arctic ice to the Northern Fleet's new compound in Franz Josef Land.
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A total of 169 new cases were registered in Arkhangelsk region over the last 24 hours, more than 150 of them in the strategically important city of Severodvinsk.
The Supreme Court of Karelia has denied the appeal of the defense of local history expert Yuri Dmitriev against the prolongation of his arrest.
The Norwegian Foreign Minister says the arms control deal is part of a common security architecture serving the interests of Norway, NATO, and allies.
As deep crisis runs through the Russian oil and gas industry, shipyard Sevmash says it is preparing to start construction of a platform for the Kamenno-Mysskoye field.
A proposed merger of regions in northern Russia spurs controversy in the small and oil-rich Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Some want also the Komi Republic to be part of the new super-size region.
"We get port call cancellations to Longyearbyen every day now," says Assisting Harbor Master Rikhart Olsen Ingerø. Norway's ban on most international visitors is extended to August 20 and includes Svalbard.
"Okay, let’s work it out," the Russian President said after discussing how to transport more seafood from the Far East with the help of Rosatom’s nuclear-powered container carrier.
The US strategic bombers were exercising in the airspace over both Norway and Sweden on May 20.
PHOTOS
With view to Teriberka. Photo: Atle Staalesen
Teriberka municipal administration building. Photo: Atle Staalesen
Kiting in Teriberka. Photo: Atle Staalesen
Snowmobile town Teriberka. Photo: Atle Staalesen
Walking in Teriberka. Photo: Atle Staalesen
Heading out for cross-country skiing. Photo: Atle Staalesen
Welcome to Teriberka. Photo: Atle Staalesen
Views to Teriberka. Photo: Atle Staalesen
Local life in Teriberka. Photo: Atle Staalesen
Speeding with home-made snowmobile. Photo: Atle Staalesen
Walking with the dog. Photo: Atle Staalesen
CLICK ON GALLERY TO SEE MORE. Apron and taxiways with the control tower. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Once upon a time, a busy runway for warplanes. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
The mining town of Zapolyarny visible in the horizon from the huge closed down air base. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Woman on duty in the control tower. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
On the wall of the control tower. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Once upon a time, a Soviet military check-point. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Abandoned apartment blocks close to the air-field. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
«Peace on earth. We protected our freedom in fight». Photo: Thomas Nilsen
A golden bust of Yury Gagarin shines the glory of the town. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Abandoned apartments block. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
School bus in front of on of the few apartment blocks where people still are living. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
The school in Korzunova. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
School bus ready to drive home the children from the military garrisons around Korzunova. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
"Tankodrom" - Roadsigns in Korzunova are not like in any other towns. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Photo: Thomas Nilsen
There are still some military activities outside of Korzunova. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Scrap metal from installations once upon a time important for the Soviet air force. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Corroded bust of Lenin stands in front of one of the abounded buildings in the town center. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Workers tear down some of the old houses in the center of Korzunovo. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
The Gagarin museum. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Inside the Gagarin museum. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
A golden Yury Gagarin shines glory over Soviet space history. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Colonel Yuri Korzunov, a Soviet hero pilot from World War 2, gave the name to the town of Korzunovo. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
The newly rebuilt monastery in Pechenga. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Heros of the Great Patriotic war (World War II). Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Final match in the sport hall was long ago. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Visitors can today step inside the buildings in Pyramiden. Like this sport hall. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Pyramiden is situated 50 kilometers north of Longyearbyen. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
".... our northern," reads half of the photo-collection poster left on the wall in the palace of culture. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
The red tower of this town sign sculpture is made of old water-pipes from the coal mine. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
The grand piano is an original "Red October" (Красный октябрь). Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Imagine a Saturday evening when the palace of culture was packed with coal miners listening to classical music. Or maybe there was an Arctic version of Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet on stage? Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Soviet fairy tale illustration on the wooden fence outside the school. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
The blocks of flats are well preserved by the Arctic climate. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Likely a door to heaven for the coal miners. The sign reads "Beer Bar", but the last pint was emptied 20 years ago. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
No more water in the world's northernmost swimming pool. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
One lonely ice-skate left in the window. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
The mechanical workshop for the coal mine. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
The entrances to the coal mine are up in the mountain above the town. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
... and yes, it is also the world's northernmost bust of Lenin. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Yes, lots of children lived in Pyramiden, a well functioning family society. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Where people once lived, birds have now taken over. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Svalbard is famous for its bird-watching sites. Although this "bird-cliff" is somehow special. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Why the town was named Pyramiden? Well, take a look at the nearest mountain. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Comrade Lenin has a great panorama view over the town with the Nordenskiold glacier in the background. The town is still state-owned and maintained by the Russian mining company Arktikugol Trust. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
From the shafts, the coal was transported to port via this structure. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Coal loading crane in the port of Pyramiden. Operated by the Russians, but Svalbard is Norwegian land. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Nice playground under the Arctic sun, but image how it was to be a child here during polar night. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
USSR-Norwegian friendly connections. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Hammer and Sickle, the symbol of the Soviet Union. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Pyramiden even had its own cowshed. Nothing's like a fresh glas of milk after a long night in the coal mine at 79 degrees north. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
With a bit of luck you may meet an Arctic fox in between the abandoned buildings in Pyramiden. A bit curious, and not too afraid of humans if you keep a distance. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
The hospital. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Children's reading book over a dusty version of the transcripts from the 27th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1986), the first congress presided over by Mikhail Gorbachev as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Outdoor sport stadion named after Yury Gagarin, the first man in space. Football field in summer, ice-skating rink during winter. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
In times of climate changes, Pyramiden coal power plant provided both heat and electricity. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Pyramiden was abandoned in 1998, but the houses are still in rather good shape and are maintained by Arktikugol Trust (Арктикуголь means Arctic coal). Photo: Thomas Nilsen
"Kuzbass" is another important coal region for Russia. Pyramiden heliport in the background. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Seems like this building is sad not to house people anymore. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Soviet-style Arctic art made of mosaic on the wall in the cantina. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Really large cooking pots in the cantina. For the coal miners. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Twelve-past-we-left-the-town. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Some plants are thirstier than others. For this one, it is too late. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
The party is over. For good. Priviet (hello) vodka. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
The main (and only) avenue in Pyramiden is named after the 60th anniversary of the October revolution. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
"No smoking". Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Map of the world on top of the world. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Pyramiden coal harbor. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Long time ago, in Pyramiden, a green indoor plant decorated the cantina. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
The world's northernmost Palace of Culture. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Once upon a time the world's northernmost kindergarten (rigth) and school (2-storey building). Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Part of the port facility in Pyramiden. The Nordenskiöld glacier across the fjord. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Pyramiden is located in Billefjorden, an appendix fjord in the innermost part of Isfjorden. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
The Norwegian Parliament approves the international agreement on unregulated fishing in the central Arctic Ocean.
The Northern Sea Transport Corridor stretches from Murmansk to Kamchatka and might soon be of defining importance for Moscow's Arctic strategy.
This year's first eastbound shipment of LNG on the Northern Sea Route comes more than a month earlier than previous years.
Radio
An iron ore mine in Sweden’s Arctic north was evacuated early Monday morning after an earthquake struck the area.
Norway’s closed borders to foreign nationals will apply until August 20th, but a special law might keep non-Nordic borders closed until January 1, 2021.
"Knyaz Vladimir" is currently sailing the White Sea on finale stage of sea trials.
Many say they are kept against their will in the remote Arctic natural gas hub despite negative testing for the coronavirus.
The biggest industrial companies in the Russian Arctic region will benefit.
A deep crisis is shattering the Russian petroleum industry, but Igor Sechin still gets the President's unequivocal support for the development Vostok Oil, the project that is due to bring several hundred million tons of north Siberian oil to international markets via the Northern Sea Route.
Two of the three production units in the remote Arctic plant are temporary stopped for technical maintenance, the company says.
Struggling with a faulty engine on the fist icebreaker, not yet delivered, does not hinder the start of construction.
The Arkhangelsk Oblast and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO) in Russia’s northwestern Arctic announced on Wednesday in joint news releases they are planning to merge.
Three Finnish-based companies have prepared an outline design for the plant to be towed Russia's Pavlovsky lead-zinc mining project.
Thousands of tons of river ice are pushing through the Siberian waterway towards the Arctic Ocean almost two weeks earlier that normal.
Plummeting oil price and declining economies notwithstanding, well drilling is coming up in far northern Norwegian waters. Russian oilmen have stakes in both wells.
Norwegian and Russian military and civilian rescuers have announced that Exercise Barents 2020 is cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Finland, Norway is up 27%, while Finland, Sweden is up 25%. Biggest concern, though, is the Tornio, Haparanda border where traffic more than tripled last week.
The field is located in the Kara Sea and believed to hold more than 200 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
Barents Must-Reads
The front of Hornsundbreen is retreating every year and will eventually open a new strait between the Barents- and Greenland Seas through the island of Spitsbergen.
Gloomy pictures of climate change from the top of the world.
Single-entry visas for a stay of up to 16 days will come in the start. Later, the goal is to issue multiple entry e-visas.
Investments in regional infrastructure and natural resource development will over the next years be equivalent to the country’s federal budget on health and education.
Øyvind Aas-Hansen with the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA) is happy to cooperate with Aleksandr Vazhenin and Pavel Borisov from the Emergency Response Centre of Rosatom, Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation. A sharp increase in nuclear-powered vessels in Arctic waters causes concern among international safety experts who recently teamed up on a voyage to the Bear Island and Svalbard to see how drones can be used to detect possible hazardous radiation.
