Thomas Nilsen

World’s longest nuclear submarine handed over to the Russian Navy

The "Belgorod" special purpose submarine, carrier of the so-called doomsday Poseidon drones, will be in experimental operation with the Northern Fleet before later to serve in the Pacific Fleet.
July 08, 2022

Norwegian transporters bring goods to Russian coal-miners

Dilemma solved: Two containers with food supplies that were stopped on the land border to Norway are now underway towards Svalbard.
July 06, 2022

Rosneft announces big oil finding in icy Pechora Sea

The Russian state-run oil company estimates the deposit to contain 82 million tons of oil.
July 06, 2022

Nornickel and Rusal start merger talks

Merging the two companies will create a "national champion", said Vladimir Potainin, the main shareholder of Nornickel and newly sanctioned by the United Kingdom.
July 05, 2022

Tsirkon-armed Russian frigate sails coast of Norway

The Russian warship has been followed by Norway’s Armed Forces on its voyages southbound from the Barents Sea to the North Sea where it is west of Stavanger Tuesday evening.
July 05, 2022

Duma speaker instructs Foreign Affairs Committee to review Barents Sea delimitation treaty

Speaker of Russia’s Parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, wants a study on possible options of denouncing the 2010 Treaty with Norway concerning maritime delimitation and cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean.
July 05, 2022

Russia to lift COVID-19 restrictions on land borders by mid-July

PCR-testing will still be required but other restrictions for Russian and foreign citizens on crossing land borders will be canceled from July 15.
July 05, 2022

200th Motorized Rifle Brigade sends mixed volunteer battalion to Ukraine war

A new ad-hoc battalion currently training in the Pechenga valley near Russia's border with Norway consists of reservists, volunteers, soldiers from coastal defense units, military policemen and navy crew members.
July 04, 2022

Import ban on Putinka and other Russian vodka

Travelers across the border from Russia to Norway and Finland can no longer bring their quota of 1-liter duty-free vodka or other spirituous beverages.
July 02, 2022

Warmest June ever at Svalbard

Average temperature at Svalbard airport Longyearbyen was 6,0°C, which is 2,4°C above average for June and the warmest ever recorded.
July 02, 2022

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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