Atle Staalesen

As Ukrainian counter-attacks intensify, Murmansk steps up investments in occupied town Primorsk

North Russian Governor Andrei Chibis this week made a second visit to the Ukrainian town on the Azov Sea coast. Not long ago, Primorsk was under heavy bombardment by Ukrainian forces.
September 14, 2023

One month after huge Orthodox cross popped up in Svalbard, Russian bishop erects a similar holy landmark in Franz Josef Land

The Orthodox crosses raised in the neighbouring Norwegian and Russian Arctic archipelagos are both devoted to Georgy the Victorious, the saint seen in Russia as the protector of warriors.
September 13, 2023

Ahead of meeting with Kim Jong Un, Putin praises Soviet Politburo leader at naming ceremony for Arctic tankers

Vladimir Putin attended the naming ceremony of icebreaking gas carrier "Aleksei Kosygin," soon to start shuttling on the Northern Sea Route.
September 12, 2023

More indigenous men from Russian Arctic are killed in Moscow's war of aggression

On a cold morning in late January, the relatives of Vasily Taleev assembled to say a last farewell. The 33 years old soldier was the third man from the Nenets village of Nelmin Nos killed in Ukraine.
September 07, 2023

Projected LNG plant in Murmansk now on Putin's table

Vladimir Putin summons key energy industry representatives to a meeting on the construction of a 1,300 km long gas pipeline to Murmansk and a floating LNG plant in the Kola Bay.
September 05, 2023

School year in Pechenga starts with a greeting to warriors in Ukraine

About 85 percent of the kids in the local north Russian school have fathers fighting in the war.
September 04, 2023

Putin's yacht escaped through Northern Sea Route. Almost at the same time, route operator Rosatom closed down its online ship tracker

According to Aleksei Navalny's team of investigators, Vladimir Putin sent his much beloved Graceful through the icy and remote Arctic waters in order to save it from arrest.
September 01, 2023

Norwegian oilmen lay out a picture of Svalbard

There is a growing interest in the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate says in a statement and pitches a photo from the far northern Svalbard archipelago.
August 31, 2023

WANTED by Kyiv: war criminals from the Russian Arctic border town of Zapolyarny

Vladislav Salyavin is one of several men from the Russian borderland to Norway and Finland that are wanted for war crimes committed in Ukraine.
August 29, 2023

Holiday camp season is coming to end. For many Russian kids, it has been a summer with weapons training and war propaganda

Thousands of Russian school children have spent this summer in camps where they have been drilled in patriotism and handling of weapons
August 22, 2023

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Atle is journalist and Publisher of the Independent Barents Observer.

In 2002, he founded the Barents Observer. He was editor until 2009 and later worked as journalist and project coordinator for several European cross-border cooperation projects. In late 2015, following a conflict over editorial rights, he re-established the Barents Observer as an independent and non-profit stock company along with the rest of the newspaper crew.  

Atle has a degree in Russian studies from the University of Oslo and studied journalism at the Moscow State University.

atle@thebarentsobserver.com
@atlestaalesen