Thomas Nilsen

Russian military aircraft close to Norwegian border

A Russian fighter jet was only seconds away from Norwegian airspace west of Nikel on the Kola Peninsula on Tuesday.
February 17, 2016

Frontex deploys guest officers at Lapland borders

The first guest officers from other Schengen countries came to Finland’s northern border checkpoints to Russia on Monday.
February 15, 2016

“Unfounded accusations against the Russian special services”

Russian Embassy in Oslo refutes espionage accusations highlighted in a report from Norway’s Police Security Service.
February 10, 2016

Chinese company to build giant bio-diesel refinery in Kemi

€1 billion could be invested in unique plant that will produce 200,000 tons of biofuel made of Lapland forest.
February 10, 2016

Chinese company to build giant bio-diesel refinery in Kemi

€1 billion could be invested in unique plant that will produce 200,000 tons of biofuel made of Lapland forest.
February 10, 2016

Petro Arctic Director plans for quadrupled oil price

Crude oil price took another nosedive this week, but no worry according to Director Kjell Giæver with Petro Arctic. Today, he presented Petro Foresight 2016, a study that sees a sharp increase in petroleum activities in the Barents- and Norwegian Seas.
February 10, 2016

Norwegian police says Russian intelligence targets defence, security and preparedness

“We assess Russia’s capacity for and intention to carry out espionage against Norway as having the greatest potential for harming Norway and the Norwegian interest,” says Benedicte Bjørnland, Chief of Norwegian Police Security Service (PST).
February 09, 2016

Nordic Council with renewed attempt to support civil society and human rights in Russia

“Cooperation with Northwest-Russia remains highly important. The new programme is a tangible sign of just how important,” says Dagfinn Høybråten, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers.
February 09, 2016

Reactor shutdown at Kola

Reactor No. 4 automatically disconnected from the grid Tuesday morning.
February 09, 2016

January hits new record low sea ice extent

Arctic sea ice extent was 90,000 square kilometers below previous record low that occurred in 2011.
February 05, 2016

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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