Atle Staalesen

Visiting Northern Fleet, Defense Minister Shoigu signals buildup along Ukrainian border will end in 2 weeks

According to the Russian military leader, the two armies and three airborne troop units that have been redeployed to western border areas will end ongoing exercises in the course of April.
April 14, 2021

The military cargo ship that was ice-trapped for weeks delivers goods to Franz Josef base

The Sparta III sails to the far northern Russian archipelago to deliver cargo to the Northern Fleet's Nagurskoye base.
April 13, 2021

A sharp regime critic flags her candidacy in Murmansk election

On the day that she announced her candidacy in the Murmansk City Council election Violetta Grudina found her office door painted with a swastika and her mail box stuffed with accusations of child abuse.
April 12, 2021

Navalny's partner Ivan Zhdanov sees father detained, sent to prison in Russian North

Yuri Zhadnov lived and worked in the far northern Nenets region. Now, the 66-years old father of one of Russia's top Putin critics fights for his life in a prison cell in Arkhangelsk.
April 09, 2021

Norway's Equinor is buying a shipload of LNG from Russian Arctic

A carrier loaded with liquified natural gas from the Yamal Peninsula is on its way to Equinor's Melkøya plant in Norway.
April 08, 2021

Militant islamic fighters train counter-terrorism in Russian Arctic

Special forces from Chechnya board a powerful icebreaking vessel and stage a show of force on the far northern coasts of the Yenisey. On site is the region's Deputy Prime Minister Vakhit Usmayev.
April 07, 2021

North Russian regions want extension of Arctic shipping route

Five governors propose to establish a Big Northern Sea Route that stretches from St.Petersburg to Vladivostok.
April 01, 2021

Crisis-ridden Hurtigruten sells properties in Svalbard

The serious troubles in the Arctic tourism industry is not the reason why we sell our assets, the Norwegian cruise ship and adventure company underlines.
March 31, 2021

Sounds of heavy gunfire echo through Pechenga Valley

With springtime comes a hike in Russian military training along the border to Norway.
March 30, 2021

This Russian Arctic coast has planet's quickest warming

Parts of Northern Siberia were up to 7℃ warmer than normal in 2020. Massive melting of sea-ice on the Northern Sea Route now paves the way for a hike in shipping.
March 29, 2021

Pages

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