Thomas Nilsen

Polar bears 'invade' military town

52 polar bears are walking around the corners in the town of Belushya Guba on Novaya Zemlya scaring people from leaving their houses.
February 09, 2019

Moscow accuses Norway of northern military buildup - Here is map of submarine ports

Norway allows allied nuclear submarines to make port calls to the civilian industrial harbor of Grøtsund north of Tromsø, 375 kilometers from the Russian border.
February 08, 2019

Criminal case initiated against journalist who reported about act of terror in Arkhangelsk

Svetlana Prokopyova was detained by masked man who first raided her home.
February 07, 2019

Russia launches call for tender for floating LNG power plant

Could enable direct electricity supply to remote Arctic regions at lower cost than a shore based gas power plant.
February 06, 2019

Svalbard could become 10°C warmer

A new grim climate report outlines how thawing permafrost combined with more heavy rainfall will trigger landslides and coastal erosion.
February 04, 2019

Sharp drop in Murmansk-Norway border-traffic, down 30% in one month

Russian New Year celebrations, which run until mid-January, is normally a busy time for cross-border shopping. Not so this year.
February 03, 2019

Medvedev promises new arms, while approval of his government’s course hits 13-year-low

45 percent of Russians believe their county is moving in a wrong direction, a new opinion poll by independent Levada Centre tells.
February 03, 2019

Russia resumes North Pole patrols with fighter jets

Combat ready MiG-31BMs will protect Russia’s northern regions by circumnavigate the airspace around the North Pole, Defense Ministry announces.
February 02, 2019

With support to Rail Baltica, Finland takes a step closer to Arctic link

Finnish Government includes Rail Baltica project in infrastructure plan as it invites private investors to participate future development.
February 02, 2019

Norway’s enviro minister brings dispute on cross-border pollution to Moscow

“It is Russia’s responsibility to reduce the emission,” says Ola Elvestuen.
January 30, 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