Thomas Nilsen

Government grants 150 million for fast-chargers in remote northern Sweden

The aim is to establish a network with no more than 100 km between each fast-chargers on the main roads.
June 23, 2020

Murmansk sees coronavirus cases spike as governor lifts restrictions

Murmansk found 37 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday and the total number of infections in the city is now 1137. However, from Monday June 22 restrictions are to be lifted, governor Andrei Chibis has decided.
June 21, 2020

Hurtigruten reframes 500-guests ships for year-round expedition cruises from Europe to northern Norway

June 19, 2020

Geopolitics is changing as B-2 again flies Arctic mission together with Norwegian F-35

"The flights are clearly a part of a plan of geopolitical and strategic signaling," says defense analyst Per Erik Solli and points to Russia’s long-range navy and air force operations south to the North Sea areas.
June 18, 2020

Northern Scandinavia to pioneer commercial flights with electric planes

The European Union has granted Kvarken region in the Gulf of Bothnia funding to implement flights with electric planes between the Vaasa region in Finland and Sweden's Västerbotten county.
June 17, 2020

"Uncontrolled outbreak" says city in northern Sweden and imposes lockdown

Gällivare is now as bad as Stockholm in regards to COVID-19 infections.
June 17, 2020

Norwegian resumes flights to nine destinations in northern Scandinavia

Norwegian Air will resume flights to airports in northern Sweden and Norway for its July and August program.
June 17, 2020

78-years old former Russian navy captain, now professor on Arctic, accused of working for Chinese intelligence

Professor Valery Mitko is President of the St. Petersburg Arctic Social Science Academy and got his education from the Higher Naval School of Radio Electronics in the 1960ties.
June 15, 2020

Norway lifts travel restrictions to Nordic countries, but strict limitations on Sweden

From Monday June 15, Norwegians can transit through Sweden in private vehicles en route to Finland or Denmark, but no overnight stays are allowed and social distancing to Swedes is a must.
June 12, 2020

Naval Chiefs at Russian submarine ceremony ignore coronavirus safety rules

Russia's latest ballistic missile submarine "Knyaz Vladimir" was officially handed over to the Northern Fleet on Friday from the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, the city with the highest number of coronavirus-cases in the Arkhangelsk Oblast.
June 12, 2020

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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