It is another crackdown on the Russian media, and it will make it even harder for Russian journalists to engage in cooperation with foreign colleagues.
Arkhangelsk and Murmansk Oblasts are the part of the Barents region with sharpest drop in population, while both Northern Sweden and Norway get more people.
The Russian Ministry of Justice puts International human rights society Memorial on the list of Foreign Agents. The decision is unlawful and will be appealed in court, Memorial says.
Environmentalists in the SPOK group has since 1996 worked to protect vulnerable forest land in Karelia. This week, their offices were searched by security agents.
Oleg Drozdov with the Yabloko Party in Murmansk runs for a seat in the State Duma, but is not allowed to do street campaigning, gets limited media coverage and zero access to the closed military towns where nearly 100.000 voters live.
Mayor of Kirkenes, Rune Rafaelsen, hopes Norway’s Minister of Fisheries upcoming visit to St. Petersburg sparks dialog on seafood export to the Russian market.
An economic barometer survey found that while trade between Finland and Russia contracted again last year – some companies say they see some light at the end of a rather dismal economic tunnel.
