Thomas Nilsen

Barentsburg aims to move from dirty coal to become gateway for Russia's Arctic tourism

For visitors, the Russian town on Norway’s Svalbard archipelago combines the contrasts of pristine Arctic beauty and Soviet style industry. Nowadays, however, Barentsburg is reshaping its business-focus to become a modern Russian hub for explorer travellers.
September 03, 2018

New weapons testing is worrying, but does not raise tensions in the north, Defense Minister says

Norway’s Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen is clear: Our contact is good. We still have a direct line to Russia’s Northern Fleet.
August 26, 2018

Shrinking population in Finnmark

Norwegians, especially the youngsters, move south. Foreign citizens though, have more than doubled the last ten years.
August 25, 2018

Ministers in cross-border mobile phone trouble

Government officials from Norway are no longer allowed to bring work-phones to Russia, and even near-border areas can be problematic.
August 25, 2018

Expansion of Tromsø’s Fram Centre makes room for more Arctic research cooperation

Arctic Council secretariat and Institute of Marine Research team up under the same roof as other key Norwegian Arctic science- and management stakeholders.
August 24, 2018

«There is no reason for any state to have a nuclear-powered missile»

Russia’s missing reactor-powered cruise missile in the Barents Sea obviously causes concerns, says Norway’s Environment Minister, Ola Elvestuen.
August 23, 2018

Nuclear-powered missile crashed in Barents Sea, intelligence report allegedly claims

While Vladimir Putin bragged about the invincible new missile in his annual speech to the nation, a U.S. intelligence report claims each of the four tests crashed.
August 22, 2018

New technology from Finland will clear the smog in Nikel

Sulfur rich, but nickel poor concentrate will be separated out and sent to other consumers, while only the nickel rich concentrate will be processed at the factories on the Kola Peninsula.
August 20, 2018

First battery-powered tourist ship for the Arctic ready to sail next summer

“Brim Explorer” will sail the Lofoten archipelago during summer and whale watching from Tromsø during winter.
August 19, 2018

FSB detains more groups of migrants heading to Norway

Fleeing from conflict zones and poverty, but the dream about reaching Norway ends in Russian jail.
August 17, 2018

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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