Atle Staalesen

North Russian region elects a staunch opposition politician to the State Duma

Amid comprehensive fraud from opponents, Oleg Mikhailov won the vote and will represent his Komi Republic in the Russian Parliament.
September 22, 2021

Arctic sea-ice reaches this year's low, but shippers still snub Northern Sea Route

After Russia's warmest-ever summer, the Northern Sea Route is almost ice-free. But only few shipmasters set course for the Arctic shortcut between Europe and Asia
September 21, 2021

Crushing victory for United Russia, but in this Arctic region Putin's party is dealt a blow

The far northern Nenets Autonomous Okrug is the Russian region with the lowest support for the United Russia. Independent observers say the State Duma elections were defamed by falsification and foul.
September 20, 2021

European Parliament: Putin's regime is a stagnating authoritarian kleptocracy

As voters start going to the polls in Russia's State Duma election, the European Parliament adopts one of its strongest-ever condemnations of the Kremlin's anti-democratic and aggressive behavior. The EU assembly calls on Europe to jointly confront the Russian regime and at the same time positively interact with the Russian population.
September 17, 2021

Two days after the election: Oslo welcomes new round of shelf drilling

Outgoing Minister of Petroleum and Energy Tina Bru says she is happy about the big number of companies eager to drill as part of a new license round.
September 15, 2021

Imprisoned Navalny aid in Arkhangelsk gets share of Boris Nemtsov award money

The €10.000 awarded to Aleksei Navalny by the Boris Nemtsov Foundation will be spent on prisoners of conscious, among them Andrei Borovikov from Arkhangelsk.
September 15, 2021

Silje Karine Muotka is new President of Sámi Parliament

The Norwegian Sámi Association wins the election despite a voter boost for its main rival, the North Calotte People.
September 14, 2021

Norway gets new government as voters make a forceful left turn

A green shift was in the air, but a majority of Norwegians ultimately cast their votes for a center-left coalition headed by Social Democrat Jonas Gahr Støre. The new government will include strong anti-EU forces.
September 14, 2021

More than 40 new Russian tanks rumble in the borderland

The potent Russian forces deployed in the Pechenga region have brought their full force of new Arctic T-80BVM tanks to the shooting ranges located along the border to Norway.
September 13, 2021

How to ambush an Arctic seaport. Russian marines stage a show

A big number of troops were involved in what the Northern Fleet says is its first ever training on how to liberate a seaport occupied by enemy forces.
September 10, 2021

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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