Thomas Nilsen

A day after Northern Fleet Commander visited Norway, his nuclear subs start weapons testing in Norwegian Sea

Two Sierra-class nuclear-powered multi-purpose submarines will test new weapons and deep-diving in Norwegian Sea.
October 26, 2019

'Youth Army' calls in on Norway

Russia’s military-patriotic Yunarmiya – or Youth Army – got Norwegian funding to tour the country’s northeastern border region. The Norwegian Helsinki Committee says representatives of such movement should not have been invited to a peace anniversary.
October 26, 2019

Lavrov sees Norway as possible bridge builder between Russia and NATO

High-level confidence building in Norwegian-Russian borderland on Friday made foreign minister Sergey Lavrov to soften the wording on Norway’s military policy.
October 25, 2019

Potanin says smelter in Nikel will be closed

Nornickel and regional authorities in Murmansk have signed agreement on how to collaborate on retraining and restructuring for the 800 employees of the smelter in Nikel.
October 20, 2019

This is how Acting Deputy Governor Maria Derunova plans to make Murmansk great again

“We need 200,000 newcomers to compensate for natural population decline in the region over the coming decade,” she says.
October 20, 2019

Norway to build brand new Consulate General in Murmansk

The new premises will be built across the street from Finland's Consulate.
October 18, 2019

Cruise missiles played key role in Putin’s strategic war games

Two Kalibr cruise missiles that can carry nuclear warheads were launched from the Barents Sea on Thursday as part of the Grom-2019 exercise.
October 18, 2019

Skolt Sami journalist Sara Wesslin listed among world's 100 most influential women

Sara is actively working to revitalize the language that was on the brink of extinction.
October 16, 2019

Large area with old taiga forest protected in Arkhangelsk region

Intensive logging is no longer permitted in the 3,000 square kilometres area now known as the Dvina-Pinega nature reserve.
October 16, 2019

Armed forces kicks off readiness exercise in Northern Norway

1400 army- and home guard soldiers participate in a co-exercise with the air force in Troms and western Finnmark.
October 16, 2019

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Thomas Nilsen is editor of the Independent Barents Observer with its news desk located in Kirkenes, northern Norway. He has a long experience in media cooperation across the borders in the high north of Europe, both as radio- and newspaper reporter all the way back to the days before the breakup of the Soviet Union. 

Nilsen has been editor of Barents Observer since 2009.

He was Deputy Head of the Norwegian Barents Secretariat from 2004-2009. Until 2003, he worked 12 years for the Bellona Foundation’s Russian study group, focusing on nuclear safety issues and general environmental challenges in northern areas and the Arctic. 

Thomas has been traveling extensively across northern Scandinavia and Arctic Russia since the late 80’s working for different media and organizations. He is also a guide at sea and in remote locations in the Russian north for various groups and regularly lectures on security issues, environmental and socio-economic development.

Thomas Nilsen studied at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Mobile: +47-90573143

thomas@thebarentsobserver.com
@nilsen.thomas