Norway repatriates 69 Russians after ship seizure

Norwegian authorities said Tuesday they helped repatriate 69 Russian citizens who were stranded in the Arctic after a Russian ship was seized at the demand of Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz.

The governor of Svalbard announced the seizure of the Professor Molchanov on September 2, citing a Norwegian court order. The vessel is used to carry people between Russia and Barentsburg, a Russian mining community in the Norwegian archipelago.

The governor's office said the Russian citizens returned to Russia via Kirkenes, a town in northern Norway near the Russian border, on Tuesday afternoon after talks with Russia's consul general in Barentsburg and representatives of Russian state-owned coal mining company Trust Arktikugol.

Naftogaz is seeking $4.2 billion from Russia in compensation for the seizure of its assets after Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea. A Hague-based arbitration tribunal ruled in favour of the Ukrainian company in 2023, and Norway recognises the ruling.

Naftogaz is seeking the sale of the vessel to cover part of its claim, but Norwegian courts have postponed final decisions to give Russia an opportunity to challenge the seizure. The Russian embassy in Norway has said it will appeal the August 31 decision by the Nord-Troms and Senja District Court.

The dispute has also caused diplomatic tension. Russia's embassy in Norway called for the vessel's immediate release and described the seizure as a politically motivated violation of international law. Russia's foreign ministry also summoned Norway's ambassador in Moscow.

Norwegian authorities say they are not a party to the case and that Svalbard's governor is obliged to execute the court order. Svalbard is governed by a 1920 treaty that recognises Norwegian sovereignty and grants nationals of contracting parties equal rights to exploit natural resources there.