Atle Staalesen

Russia launched military rocket. It could be seen over northern Norway

A rocket carrying a space installation for the Russian Ministry of Defence was Thursday morning launched from the north Russian Plesetsk Space Center. It could be seen over the Norwegian border town of Kirkenes.
December 21, 2023

Who is 'Hero of Russia' Yevgeny Supakov?

I love to ride snowmobile, the 25 year old soldier from the remote Arctic region of Tazov writes on his social media profile. Yevgeny Supakov is one of several hundred men from far northern Russian villages fighting in Ukraine. This week, he was declared 'Hero of Russia' by Vladimir Putin.
December 20, 2023

Oilmen start building of underwater pipeline across the Yenisey

The 5,8 km long pipeline is key component of Vostok Oil, the biggest industrial project currently unfolding in the Russian Arctic.
December 19, 2023

Moscow sends warning to Finland

The Russian Foreign Ministry summons Finland's Ambassador following the Nordic country's signing of a Defence Cooperation Agreement with the USA.
December 19, 2023

New defence agreement: Finland invites American troops to bases in Lapland

The Border Guard Base in Ivalo is one of five northern sites highlighted in the new defence agreement between Finland and the USA. Not far away is Russia's heavily militarized Kola Peninsula.
December 18, 2023

First train crosses new bridge to western side of Kola Bay

It is a historical moment for Murmansk, regional governor Andrei Chibis underlined as Vladimir Putin declared the new infrastructure object for opened.
December 18, 2023

Chaotic on Finnish border as travellers rush to cross before closure

Huge lines and hours of waiting for the people trying to make it across the Russian-Finnish border ahead of today's indefinite closure. Among the travellers is also a big number of migrants without valid travel documents to Finland.
December 15, 2023

Crowd of migrants gets ready for border-crossing to Finland

As soon as Finland announced the reopening of its border to Russia, migrants started to move towards the border-crossing points. Videos show a significant number of migrants preparing to cross the border from Russia to Finland by bicycle.
December 14, 2023

Putin in Arkhangelsk: Arctic industry and infrastructure on agenda

The Russian ruler gathered the governors of all Arctic regions for a talk about big projects. Among them is a nuclear power station in the north Siberian village of Ust-Kuiga.
December 12, 2023

The Chechens ran Russia's show at COP28

Climate calamity looms, but Moscow's participation at the COP28 will be remembered for its unfaltering support for fossil fuels and the key role of Chechen strongmen.
December 12, 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