Thomas Nilsen

US brings up Russia’s crashed reactor-powered missile in UN disarmament talks

"Russia has invented new weapons of war that harken back to an age when a nuclear balance of terror reigned," a U.S. State Department official said to the United Nations' Disarmament and International Security Committee.
October 14, 2019

John Kerry declares ‘World War Zero’ in response to climate crisis

This is the war we must wage and win, says former U.S. Secretary of State as he encourages everyone, from politicians and generals to activists and influencers around the world to join.
October 14, 2019

Barges from Nenoksa accident end up at Kola radioactive scrap site

Unclear if the barges hold the damaged small-size reactor or isotope source.
October 11, 2019

Norway absent from massive US-led multinational reinforcement drill in northern Europe next year

NATO’s northernmost country with direct border to Russia’s militarized Kola Peninsula relies heavily on allied reinforcements, but lacks capacity to join when its allies will train how to provide support in a war scenario.
October 09, 2019

Lavrov to attend 75th anniversary of WWII liberation in Kirkenes

October 25th marks the Soviet Red Army troops’ liberation of Kirkenes, the first town in Norway to be freed from Nazi-occupation.
October 09, 2019

Poseidon Expeditions owner refutes involvement in Russia’s denial of Hurtigruten to sail Franz Josef Land

«I can say without reservation that neither I nor anyone else at Poseidon Expeditions had any contact with officials at Rosmorrechflot regarding the denial of Hurtigruten’s application to visit Franz Josef Land,» says Nikolay Saveliev.
October 08, 2019

Norway locates new rescue base in Tromsø as Arctic shipping increases

SAR efforts in the European Arctic will with the new helicopter base be strengthened as industry, tourism and military all boost activities up north.
October 07, 2019

Civil society and media freedom on agenda as Norway takes over chair of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council

"We look with great concern at the difficult working conditions for civil society in Russia, especially the conditions for NGOs, the media and indigenous peoples," says foreign minister Ine Eriksen Søreide.
October 03, 2019

Norwegian Coast Guard ship makes port call to Arkhangelsk

It is not very often nowadays you see a grey-colored ship from a NATO country sailing into a Russian port.
October 02, 2019

Arctic is hot - Barents is not, says expert on both cooperations

«This is really a downscaling of the Barents cooperation,» says Markku Heikkilä about the upcoming foreign ministers meeting in Umeå which is co-arranged with the much larger EU Arctic Forum. Russia's Sergey Lavrov is not coming.
October 01, 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