Thomas Nilsen

Northern Fleet frigate test fires Tsirkon hypersonic missile

Russia's Defense Ministry says a successful launch of hypersonic Tsirkon cruise missile took place from the White Sea and hit a target on the coast of the Barents Sea.
July 19, 2021

Northern Fleet moves large warships to Baltic Sea

Combat training will be conducted during the inter-fleet crossing from the Barents Sea around Scandinavia to the Baltic Sea. Russia's navy move happens simultaneously as NATO kicks off its anti-submarine warfare exercise Dynamic Mongoose outside Norway.
June 29, 2021

Gigantic special mission submarine starts sea trials in White Sea

The nuclear-powered Belgorod (K-329) is the largest submarine built in the last 30 years.
June 28, 2021

From dirty coal mining to protected land, Norway expands national park on Svalbard

Important to protect the Van Mijen fjord as sea ice provides habitat for seals and polar bears, says Minister of Climate and Environment, Sveinung Rotevatn.
June 21, 2021

Northernmost Siberian wildfire discovered from space

There is an abnormally high number of wildfires in Siberia to be June, and parts of the northern regions are recording temperatures more than +15°C higher than normal.
June 20, 2021

Nearly 100 new cases in Murmansk

"Wear masks and keep distance," is the main message from the governor's office as Russia’s Arctic capital again sees a rise in the number of infections.
June 20, 2021

Construction of Kola NPP-2 set to start in 2028

Two 600 MW reactors will be built with the first scheduled to start producing electricity in 2034.
June 20, 2021

Norway, Russia celebrates 25 years of successful nuclear safety cooperation, but NGOs worried about transparency

"We worry for the safety of our Russian friends and fellow environmental activists," says Kjersti Album with Naturvernforbundet (Friends of the Earth Norway) as officials of the two countries mark a quarter of a century with cooperation to hinder radioactive pollution in the north.
June 17, 2021

COVID-19 infections are increasing in Northwest Russia

In the Murmansk region, only one out of eight citizens have taken the vaccine.
June 13, 2021

Teriberka gets Russia’s second Arctic research station powered by renewables

Snowflake-2 science research station will be a five-domes construction to house year-round environmental monitoring and education.
June 10, 2021

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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