Thomas Nilsen

FSB starts detaining Jehovah’s Witnesses on Kola, dozens flee to Finland

Criminal cases are initiated after FSB and Rosgvardia raided six addresses in the closed navy town of Polyarny.
April 20, 2018

Hurtigruten goes hybrid-electric

At least six vessels to get new gas-powered engines supported by batteries. Environmentalists call for other Arctic cruise-liner to follow.
April 20, 2018

This 45 years old reactor is now shut down, getting ready for another 15 years to run

Reactor No. 1 at Kola nuclear power plant was originally designed to work for 30 years, but will be 60.
April 18, 2018

Five nuclear-powered voyages to melting North Pole

Been there, seen that: 600 tourists pay up to $43,000 each to crush through the ice towards the top of the world before it melts away.
April 18, 2018

Quick end to chat app Telegram in Russia

Communication and technology regulator Roskomnadzor has started to block access to Telegram for about ten million Russians.
April 17, 2018

Statoil might postpone some Barents Sea drilling till 2019

Two of the planned exploration wells are located near Norway’s maritime border to Russia, but Statoil can’t say if both will be drilled this year or next.
April 17, 2018

Sauna fire on world's northernmost oil platform

Smoke development from the fire on Friday morning.
April 13, 2018

Norwegian soldiers crossed border to Finland

While the Finnish Border Guard has launched serious investigation, other Finns make social media jokes suggesting unconditionally surrender to get access to Norway’s oil money and know-how on asthma medication.
April 11, 2018

Ruble fell sharply - will it influence cross-border shopping?

April 11, 2018

First Murmansk-Oslo flight takes off in June

Nordavia launches the first direct flight between the Russian north and the Norwegian capital.
April 10, 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