Atle Staalesen

Norway bolsters patrol in Arctic waters with new Coast Guard ships

A third vessel of the Jan Mayen class is taken over by the Norwegian Coast Guard. "It is a milestone for our ocean nation," Navy Chief Oliver Berdal says.
June 12, 2024

In Fascist-inspired crusade, warriors from Moscow's war of aggression wave Z-flags on North Pole

Among the expedition members that this week arrived with a nuclear icebreaker to the North Pole is a big number of heavily decorated so-called 'heroes of Russia' that have taken part in Moscow's onslaught on Ukraine.
June 12, 2024

Military priests from Kola Peninsula are decorated for service on occupied land

Oleg Denichenko from the border town of Zapolyarny is one of several regional clergymen awarded for his service on the frontline in Ukraine.
June 07, 2024

In desperate need for more Arctic tankers, Novatek sends 200 of its engineers to shipyard

According to newspaper Kommersant, Russia's biggest producer of LNG has decided to move 200 workers from its natural gas field in far northern Gydan Peninsula to the Zvezda Yard outside Vladivostok.
June 06, 2024

"Darkness is not forever"

Ivan Pavlov believes in a new and beautiful Russia and says he will be "on the first flight home" as soon as the Putin regime falls. "We are optimists. Putin is not forever," the well-known human rights lawyer in exile says.
June 04, 2024

Nordic countries say they will speed up, scale up support for Ukraine

"We are in this for as long as it takes," Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson underlined as top leaders from all five Nordic countries today met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Stockholm. The Nordic governments promise more air defence and support for Ukrainian defence industry.
May 31, 2024

North Russian governor calls on local population to send hunting weapons to the front

Russian warriors fighting in Ukraine are experiencing a lack of guns. Komi Governor Vladimir Uiba now publicly call on locals to donate their private hunting weapons.
May 30, 2024

Oslo looks to Brussels for strengthened security and defence

"Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has changed our security policy environment," Norwegian Defence Minister Bjørn Arild Gram said as he signed a new Security and Defence Partnership agreement with the European Union.
May 29, 2024

Russian crime suspects are told charges will be dropped if they go to war

Not only prison inmates are recruited for fighting on occupied land. Also men accused of crimes and awaiting trial are sent to war.
May 28, 2024

Northern Fleet shows off along Kola coast

Eleven surface ships, submarines and support vessels hunted for enemy subs and engaged in air defence as part of exercise Kumzha-2024.
May 28, 2024

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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