Reuters: Russia trained with new secret weapon near Svalbard

Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the world’s largest secure seed storage, has received the Princess of Asturias Foundation's award for international cooperation.

The seed vault is located in the permafrost and opened in 2008. It is established and fully funded by the Norwegian state. The Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food collaborates with the Nordic Genetic Resources Centre and the Global Crop Diversity Trust on daily operations, and receives guidance from a dedicated international council established to advise the seed vault.

“Together with more than 130 depositors from around the world, we have secured the conservation of as many as 1.4 million seed samples of our most important food crops for future generations. This award is an important recognition of the international and intergovernmental cooperation that has made this possible,” says Nils Kristen Sandtrøen (Labor), Norway’s Minister of Agriculture and Food.

The Princess of Asturias Foundation is a private, non-profit institution in Spain whose principal mission is to promote the scientific, cultural, and humanistic values that form part of humanity’s universal cultural heritage.

Brigadier John Olav Fuglem was appointed Major General and Chief of the Norwegian Army on October 23.

This is stated in a press release from the Norwegian Ministry of Defense.

Fuglem comes from the position as commander of the Finnmark Brigade.

"The Army is central to the defense of Norway and to our overall defense capability. As we now build up and further develop the Norwegian Armed Forces, the Army's ability to deter, defend Norway and operate well together with our allies, especially in the north, is important. I congratulate on the appointment as Commander of the Army, and wish success in this important mission, says Norwegian Minister of Defense Tore O. Sandvik.

Fuglem was the first commander of the Finnmark Brigade, which was established in August 2025, and will in the future be one of three brigades in the Army. The Finnmark Brigade will be provided with new capabilities adapted to the mission in Finnmark and will be a central piece in the collective defense of Norway and NATO, the ministry writes.

The Chief of the Army is a fixed-term position of six years, after a change in the law for military officials came into effect on January 1, 2026.

He will assume the position from the date determined by the Ministry of Defense.

Russia has shipped around 20 million barrels of oil to Asia through the Northern Sea Route (NSR) between July and mid-October. This is almost 50 percent more than during the whole of 2025, according to CBC.

NSR connects Russia’s western ports with Asian markets. The route is normally more expensive and riskier than traditional shipping lanes.

This year, however, disruptions in the Suez Canal, the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea have contributed to a sharp rise in freight rates along the passage.

For Russia, which controls the NSR, the route now appears to be a safer alternative to European waters, where tankers carrying Russian oil have been detained several times this year.

Russian Oil export volumes are expected to rise by a further 5-10 million barrels before the shipping season ends.

The Norwegian Institute of Marine Research recommends that the catch of snow crab on the Norwegian continental shelf in the Barents Sea should not exceed 16,594 tonnes in 2027. This is an increase of 35 percent compared to the recommendation for 2026.

"The recommendation follows from the fact that all stock indices included in the stock assessment are higher in 2026 than in 2025. This indicates that the stock has increased, and that there is room for increased catches in 2027," says Ann Merete Hjelset, researcher at the institute.

The quota recommendation and final quota for 2026 was 12,336 tonnes.

The final snow crab quota for 2027 will be set by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries during the autumn.

Today, Monday, Norway and Russia began negotiations on next year's fishing quotas in the Barents Sea. After having taken place in a digital format in recent years, the negotiations are now being held in the Turkish capital Istanbul between officials of the Joint Norwegian-Russian Fisheries Commission.

"This is the first time in six years that the meeting has been held physically. This is to better resolve some of the technical and administrative issues that are demanding," says Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy Marianne Sivertsen Næss (Labor) to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.

The commission will set quotas for Northeast Arctic cod, Northeast Arctic haddock, capelin, Greenland halibut and beaked redfish, which are stocks jointly managed by Norway and Russia.

Particularly central to the negotiations is the cod quota, which has been reduced in recent years due to a decline in the stock. According to the minister, the quota cuts appear to have worked.

"Things look somewhat brighter for the near future. The fact that scientific advice has largely been followed has meant that the fluctuation is now starting to increase again," Næss states.

The total quota for Northeast Arctic saithe for 2027 has been set at 127,807 tonnes, announces the Norwegian Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Fisheries.

This quota is 22 percent lower than in 2026 and in line with advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

"We are following the management plan for saithe. The decline is noticeable, but necessary for the spawning population to grow again," says Minister of Fisheries and the Ocean Policy Marianne Sivertsen Næss (Labor).

The spawning stock has declined in recent years, but is still above the precautionary level. With the new quota, it is expected to increase from 2027 to 2028.

Because the saithe quotas have not been fully fished in recent years, the quota reduction will probably have less of an impact on the actual catch than 22 percent, according to the ministry.

While housing prices are falling across large parts of the country, new figures from Real Estate Norway show an unusal price surge in several municipalities in Northern Norway.

Hammerfest recorded the strongest growth in the entire country during the third quarter of 2026, with an increase of 4.5 percent, followed by Tromsø and Narvik.

Looking at the last four quarters combined, Narvik stands out with the hghest price growth in the nation at a staggering 14 percent. Tromsø (11.4 percent) and Hammerfest (10.5 percent) have also experienced exceptionally strong growth over the past year.

Henning Lauridsen, CEO of Eiendom Norge, points to major industrial investments and hew developments as the primary driver behind the northern municipalitiea setting themselves apart. Among other projects, he highlights Equinor’s gas investments in Hammerfest and Nscale’s data center in Narvik as key market drivers.

Finland’s Minister of Defence, Antti Häkkänen, has decided to usse a new decree from the Ministry of Defence regarding the use of Defence Forces vehicles.

”With the new decree, we are promoting military mobility in the changed security environment. With the reform, we will ensure that the operating conditions of the Defence Forces, traffic safety and military mobility, which is central to Finland's defence, form a functional whole,” Häkkänen said in a press release from the Ministry.

According to Yle, the reform will make it easier for Norwegian and Swedish military vehicles to enter Finland without special control measures at the border.

The same practice will also be introduced in ports and airports.

King Haakon VIII of Norway will visit the city of Narvik in Northern Norway on Tuesday, October 13.

This is the first official municipal visit for Norway's new king.

After the visit to Narvik, King Haakon will visit the Norwegian Armed Forces in Finnmark on October 13 and 14. There, he will visit several units in the Finnmark Brigade, which was established in 2025.

"In 1940, some of the fiercest fighting on Norwegian soil took place precisely in Narvik, and the city is once again an important hub for Norwegian and Allied preparedness. Narvik is the most important shipping port for mineral resources in Norway and Scandinavia. The port is also one of four Nordic ports for receiving Allied reinforcements. In addition, Narvik is the terminus of the Ofot Line, which ensures a train connection to Kiruna in Sweden," states the press release about the visit to Narvik.

Total defence, democracy, and how we together build safe and strong local communities will be a natural framework for the King's visit to Narvik, it further reads.

Today, the norwegian government will present next year's national budget.

In 2026, the Sámi Parliament received over 800 million Noregian kroner for the first time. Now the Sámi Parliament has decided that it needs an additional 767,5 million kroner, meaning a total of more than 1,5 billion kroner from the state in 2027, according to NRK.

This demand follows the historic report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commision. The Sámi Parliament is calling on the state to take responsibility for closing the gap between the formal rights of the Sámi people and what is actually implemented in practice.

Because the Sámi Parliament is an elected body, it is recuested that the funda not earmarked, so the Sámi community itself can decide what it needs most.

Among other things, they want to use the money for nred museum buildings, a Sámi language Commisioner, and efforts to rebuild in the aftermath of the Norwegiansation policy.

The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) has registered growing interest from state threat actors in Norway's coastal and maritime areas.

"We are seeing very significant interest in the Arctic and the High North from a number of countries. This mainly concerns Russia, but also China," Jon Fitje Hoffmann, director at PST, tild the norwegian broadcaster NRK.

According to Hoffmann, Russia is seeking to map Norwegian ports, communications cables, ans the thousands of kilometres of oil and gas pipelines on the seabed.

He said this could be part of general intelligence gathering, but could also serve as preparation for potential acts of sabotage.

PST is now urging the public to report unusual activity, including incidents that fall outside the normal pattern and people or vessels behaving suspiciously.

PST also advises individuals and businesses to be alert to unexplained friend requests on social media.

Norway and Canada are set to draft an agreement on closer defense cooperation and to train and operate more closely together in the Arctic.

Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed on this during a meeting in Ottawa on Sunday, NTB reports.

"Canada is a close partner for Norway and an important NATO ally. We share many fundamental values and have common interests in the Arctic. In turbulent times, Norway needs a broader foundation to stand on. We are now further strengthening our cooperation with Canada," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre says in a press release.

Earlier this year, Norway and Canada established a strategic partnership covering areas such as Arctic security, support for Ukraine, energy, critical minerals, space, artificial intelligence, and climate.

In July, Canada joined the submarine cooperation initiative between Norway and Germany. The three countries are set to acquire identical submarines.

"This will strengthen our—and NATO’s—ability to monitor maritime areas in the north. It is crucial for our shared security," says Støre.

Norway and Canada also intend to increase cooperation between their respective defense industries. In a joint statement, the prime ministers affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine.

Furthermore, the Norwegian and Canadian polar institutes will collaborate more closely on Arctic research.

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney will welcome the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, to Ottawa, Ontario from September 20 to 21.

During the visit, the leaders will discuss opportunities to deepen the Canada-Norway partnership across key sectors, such as energy, critical minerals, and sovereign technology – including artificial intelligence and aerospace, a press release states.

“Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Støre will also advance Canada and Norway’s defence and security partnership. As Arctic nations and NATO Allies, they will discuss efforts to strengthen security and resilience in the Arctic and North Atlantic, modernise our defence capabilities, and bolster secure and resilient defence supply chains that support our collective security," states the press release.

“Canada and Norway are strong partners with growing ties in energy, defence, and technology. I look forward to hosting Prime Minister Støre as we deepen our economic relationship, strengthen the NATO Alliance, and create new opportunities for Canadian and Norwegian workers and businesses,” says Prime Minister Carney.

Last Wednesday, the Governor of Svalbard placed the Russian vessel “Professor Moltsjanov”, which was docked in Barentsburg on Svalbard, under arrest.

The following day, Russia’s ambassador Nikolay Korchunov announced that Russia would appeal the decision and demand the ship’s release.

On Monday morning, Hålogaland Court of Appeal and Nord-Troms and Senja District Court told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that no appeal has yet been filed in the case.

Climate change is altering the landscape of Svalbard at an accelerating pace. Satellite images from this summer reveal that a new island has emerged from beneath Svalbard’s largest glacier, Austfonna, as the ice has melted away.

The Norwegian Polar Institute announced this in a press release.

The small island—roughly the size of Frogner Park—is a new addition to Svalbard’s many Arctic islands. Located off the southeastern coast of Austfonna in Harald V Land, it was previously connected to the mainland by the glacier; however, the glacier has since retreated, opening up a strait between the island and the main ice mass.

"We first spotted it about a month ago in satellite images taken this summer," says Geir Moholdt, a glaciologist at the Norwegian Polar Institute.

The fact that there is now a gap of several hundred meters between the front of Austfonna and the island suggests that warm ocean water is the primary cause—a finding consistent with the ocean warming observed east of Svalbard in recent years. There are strong indications that this trend will continue.

"Svalbard’s glaciers are retreating onto land. As they pull back, fjords lengthen, and the glaciers will eventually be situated entirely on land. At the same time, they are thinning due to warmer summers characterized by significant melting. In recent years, Svalbard’s glaciers have lost an average of more than a meter of surface ice annually. That is far more than what has been observed previously," Moholdt points out.

On Thursday, Norwegian authorities seized a Russian vessel docked in Barentsburg. Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Norway of piracy.

The seizure of the Russian ship Professor Molchanov stems from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A compensation claim of $4.2 billion has been lodged against the vessel.

Professor Sven G. Holtsmark is an expert on Russian foreign policy.

"The crucial point is that their interests in the Arctic and their interests in Ukraine are vastly different. In Ukraine, the goal was to subjugate the country," he tells Forsvarets forum.

Holtsmark works at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies at the Norwegian Defence University College.

Russia transports large quantities of liquefied gas from facilities in Yamal, Siberia. This gas is shipped along routes through the High North—either eastward to China or to Europe via the Norwegian coast.

"This transport is vital for Russia, and it is unlikely that the country desires a situation that could undermine stability," says Holtsmark.

"Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has not made statements suggesting that Norway's participation in sanctions or its supply of weapons to Ukraine threatens to destabilize this situation."

Norway has eased restrictions that previously prevented allied surveillance aircraft from tracking Russian nuclear submarines operating out of bases on the Kola Peninsula, reports the Barents Observer.

The change means that allies can now operate closer to Norwegian areas than before, provided the missions are coordinated with Norwegian authorities.

The adjustment comes in response to an increased allied need for situational awareness in the Barents Sea and a more challenging security environment in the High North.

Norwegian authorities emphasize that operations will remain controlled and predictable.

Major General Lars Lervik has been appointed Lieutenant General and new Chief of the Norwegian Intelligence Service.

This is stated in a press release from the Norwegian Armed Forces on Friday.

Lervik is currently the Chief of the Norwegian Army and takes on the role after Vice Admiral Nils Andreas Stensønes, who is retiring after leading the Intelligence Service since 2020.

"I am very pleased that Major General Lars Lervik has today been appointed as the new Chief of the Intelligence Service. Congratulations on the promotion to Lieutenant General and a new and important position. I am confident that the Intelligence Service has the right chief to lead and develop the organization further. At the same time, I would like to thank Vice Admiral Nils Andreas for his service and the enormous effort that has been made since he took office as Chief of the Intelligence Service," says Norway's Chief of Defence Eirik Kristoffersen about the appointment.

Lervik will assume the position from the date determined by the Norwegian Ministry of Defense.

Norwegian Minister of Defense Tore O. Sandvik had his first telephone conversation with the new British Secretary of State for Defence, Wes Streeting, on Thursday,

During the telephone meeting, security challenges in the High North and closer defense cooperation were high on the agenda, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense reports in a press release.

"Norway and the United Kingdom have strong cultural, geographical and historical ties. Together we have stood shoulder to shoulder throughout the 77 years of NATO's existence. We are now well underway in expanding our already strong and close defense cooperation," says Norway's Minister of Defense Tore O. Sandvik, adding:

"Together we are strengthening NATO's defense flank in the Arctic and the High North to secure Norway and our allies in turbulent times."

One of the main topics discussed was the further strengthening of the strategic defence cooperation between the UK and Norway through the Lunna House Agreement. This was signed in December 2025 and is the most comprehensive defence cooperation agreement that Norway and the UK have entered into in recent times.

Sandvik and Streeting also spoke about the need for continued support for Ukraine and European contributions to NATO, and the North European security cooperation Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).