An Admiral’s Brutal War Story – And What Is the Definition of a Victory in Ukraine? Comment (Reykjavik): Without a manuscript, without hesitation, nearly without even drawing a breath, he let a packed hall know what the war in Ukraine is about. I am talking about Admiral Rob Bauer. He dragged the soon 1,000 daily news broadcasts on weapon systems through a mud of blood, suffering, and death.
The War Creates “Optimism” in the Arctic Comment, Reykjavik: "Innovation is the fuel of tomorrow. Not oil and gas." Adnan Z. Amin looks out over an audience of business people in Reykjavik, Iceland. The topic is investments in the Arctic. Over the next few hours, several speakers will emphasize that the war in Europe provides new opportunities.
Icelandic Author Couple: Literature Allows Us To Explore Everything, Including the End of the World Harstad (High North News): "We Icelanders never prepare for anything," says the author couple Sigríður Hagalín Björnsdóttir and Jón Kalman Stefánsson. They admire the Norwegian practical preparedness thinking but also remind us of the resistance power of traveling literature and maintain that a preparedness storage must also include a book and a ukulele.
Behind a Desk, They Decide Over Life and Death - Bob Dylan, 1962 Commentary: "Come, you masters of war. You that hide behind walls. You that hide behind desks." I resort to Bob Dylan in the search for words to describe a world in which bestiality is the subject of every headline.
VIDEO: Living in The Shadow of The War It has been over a year since Russia invaded Ukraine. Preparedness is being increased in the northern regions and the nuclear threat is imminent. How is our mental and physical reality affected by our neighbor's warfare? Join the debate when Editor-In-Chief Arne O. Holm meets composer Tine Surel Lange together with other guests during the True Northern Arts Festival.
The War Shall Be Won With Oil and Killers Commentary: Russia is releasing killers from its prisons for them to continue killing. That is happening concurrently as Russian industrial companies are setting historic sales records. War is an absurd place.
What Effects Has the Ukraine war Had on the Arctic Council? Op-Ed: On Tuesday, March 28, Norway announced the priorities for its Chairship of the Arctic Council (AC) that is about to start in May. With the transition from Russia to Norway at the helm of the AC on the horizon, it is important to ask the question – what effects has the Ukraine war had on the AC to date?
Bellona Closes its Offices in Russia Bellona was active in Russia for more than 30 years. Now those activities have ceased, and Bellona has established a new office in Vilnius, Lithuania, where Bellona’s experts, relocated from Russia, will continue their work.
Hot Conflict in Cold Surroundings? Svalbard’s Strategic Impact After Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine "Should Norway fear the Russian aggression on Svalbard?" asks researcher Turid Austin Wæhler at UiT-The Arctic University of Norway.
When the War Narratives Are Not Corresponding, It Demands More From Us and Jonas (Commentary) “The war has entered a more serious phase and has moved closer to us,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre at a press conference the other day. The message holds gravity and is difficult to convey. Partly because the government’s narratives are not corresponding.
Closed borders and excessive profits. Where did solidarity go? (Commentary) Washington DC: We are closing the borders to Russian conscientious objectors. We are refusing to share the war profits with anyone but ourselves. And on Svalbard, we have deprived foreigners of their right to vote.
Our Russian Friends Need A Shoulder to Cry On (Commentary) Vardø: There is a place in the doghouse for those who, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, condemned the Barents cooperation. Had they taken a deep breath before sharpening their tongue, they could have listened to the voices of oppositional Russian artists pleading not to be forsaken.
Important Arctic Research Could Be Lost in the Wake of Russia's War It is not only the ice that is disappearing in the Arctic while the war in Ukraine rages on. Climate scientists also believe that knowledge will be lost if it is not shared and protected. "The research suffers and it will take time to recover," says the Secretary General of the Norwegian Scientific Academy for Polar Research, Thor S. Larsen.
"The West has Been Too Naive in their Relationship with Russia" The West has been too naive in their relationship with Russia and have not realized that what followed the fall of the wall was an exception as far as Russia was concerned, say a group of Norwegian editors. They are now working on keeping channels of knowledge and information open towards the new iron curtain.
The Arctic Council: The Arctic 7 Resume Limited Work Without Russia On Wednesday, seven of the Arctic Council's eight member states issued a joint statement on the limited resumption of Arctic Council cooperation.
In Arctic Finland, Santa’s Grotto Doubles as a Bomb Shelter Russia's invasion of Ukraine has not caught Russias neighbouring country Finland unprepared, as even the Santa Claus theme park in is ready to revert to its original function - an emergency bomb shelter in case of attack.
The War Kills the Climate and Starves People to Death Commentary: Russia and Putin’s war against Ukraine is a kind of madness that hits the world far beyond the reach of their respective missiles. The war leads to large-scale militarization of the Arctic, as well as to extreme famine further south. The former without opposition, the latter without any solution.
Sweden will apply for NATO membership with Finland: "Sweden must not be alone outside NATO" The Swedish government has decided that Sweden will apply for membership in NATO, says Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. "We will inform NATO that we want to become a member of the alliance, says Andersson (S).
Sweden´s Foreign Minister: A Historic Day for Sweden Swedens application for membership in NATO has not been formally decided, but the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs already took to Twitter to share the news: "The Swedish government’s intent is to apply for NATO-membership. A historic day for Sweden".
In the Shadow of War: After 4,000 Kilometers Along the Russian Border, I Suddenly Awoke in NATO (Commentary) Nuijamaa, Finland: On Wednesday this week, I hit my pillow just a few kilometers away from the Russian border. Quite exactly 4,000 kilometers had led me along the border from Kirkenes to Nuijamaa in southern Finland. The forest was, as always, closing in around me – but much had changed when I woke up in NATO on Thursday morning.
In the Shadow of War: “The Barents Cooperation was a Genuine, Honest Attempt” Kirkenes, Norway: Rune Rafaelsen was awarded a medal for his work for friendship between Russia and Norway. A Russian medal. He has returned it. Friendship with the official Russia is shattered. As are decades of cooperation between people in the two countries. “But you cannot blame the Barents cooperation for that. It was a genuine and honest attempt”, says the former Kirkenes mayor.
In the Shadow of War: Russian Journalists are Threatened with 15 Years in Prison for Writing about the War Joensuu, Finland: Last weekend, a series of Russian journalists participated at an international journalist conference in Finland. According to Amund Trellevik, former leader of Barents Press International, creating such a meeting has been very hard. “Of course they took a big risk in coming here”, he says. Watch the whole interview here.
In the Shadow of War: He had to Flee Russia To Do His Job Joensuu, Finland: Alexey Kuvalyov is one out of 150 Russian journalists who have had to flee Russia in order to avoid harsh prison sentences for their journalism. Now, he is doing the same for the Meduza newspaper from Riga, Latvia, where his newspaper a.o. has revealed how Russian soldiers rape and kill civilians in Ukraine. We met him in Finland. Watch the entire interview here.
As A Northerner, I Appreciate Time to Think Even When Europe is on Fire Commentary: Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre is accused of dragging his feet when it comes to sanctions against Russia. Our ports are not shut for Russian fishing vessels fast enough, and weapon supplies from Norway to Ukraine arrive too little and too late. There may be good reasons for that. As a northerner, I appreciate time to think – even when Europe is on fire.
Small, Yellow Post-It’s Mark the Border between Dictatorship and Democracy Commentary: “Here”, Esa Martela says and points to an abandoned building, “Here, I worked for decades before the border station was shut down.” We leave the car, Martela and I, and look into Russia. Two minutes later, a Finnish border inspection patrol appears on snowmobile.
Russia Warns of ‘Unintended Incidents’ as NATO Increases Military Activity in the Arctic "Russia is worried about increased activity of NATO forces in the Arctic and sees risks of "unintended incidents" occurring in the region", TASS news agency cited Russian ambassador-at-large Nikolai Korchunov saying.
Russian Tourism Leader Against the Regime Last year, Timofey Rogozhin quit his job as Tourism Manager of the state-owned company in Barentsburg. Only now does he speak publicly about what happened.
Bezos and Gates-Backed Mining Company Prepares to Drill in Greenland A mining exploration startup backed by billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates is planning to start drilling for rare minerals in western Greenland later this year.
Norwegian Foreign Minister: The War Changes Norwegian Security and Foreign Policy “Norway has an unstable and more dangerous Russian neighbor that will affect Norwegian High North policy”, says Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt (Labor).
Norwegian Government Proposes NOK 3 Billion to the Armed Forces “This is necessary because we are facing a more unpredictable and aggressive Russian regime – our neighbor country. This will have consequences for both Norwegian and Allied security”, says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Labor).
The High North Tour 2022: In the Shadow of War Commentary: Last winter, I traveled Northern Norway for three months. It was a journey in the shadow of the pandemic. Now, I start a new tour under the label of “The High North Tour”. This time, in the shadow of a war.
The Ukraine Crisis Requires Strengthening of Norwegian Defense, Says Defense Minister “The Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed the European security situation. This crisis is foundational, lasting and requires us to strengthen our Defense here at home too”, says Norwegian Defense Minister Odd Roger Enoksen (Center Party).
Urgent Meeting in the Norwegian Defense Commission: The War has Changed A Lot in a Short Period of Time On Wednesday, the Norwegian Defense Commission conducted an extraordinary meeting in relation to the war in Ukraine.
AEC Moves Meeting From Russia: "Politicized and Irrational", says Russian MFA The Arctic Economic Council condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine, changing its annual meeting in St Petersburg to an online meeting. An act that the Russian MFA calls politicized and irrational.
AEC Moves Meeting From Russia: "Politicized and Irrational", says Russian MFA The Arctic Economic Council condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine, changing its annual meeting in St Petersburg to an online meeting. An act that the Russian MFA calls politicized and irrational.
Everybody Knows Norway Borders on Russia, yet Some Know It Better than Others Commentary: First, we led them into a serious climate crisis. Then they were hit by a pandemic that none, despite warnings, had prepared us for. After that, Vladimir Putin sent his murder weapons into the European civilian population. This is the world in which we let our children grow up.
Demanding Thoughts on a Quite Extraordinary Day on the Border to Russia (Commentary) Kirkenes, Norway: In the middle of the Kirkenes Conferences, bombs hit Ukraine. For 24 hours Russians, Norwegians and Finns had promoted diplomacy and dialogue on the border between Russia and Norway. We went to bed Wednesday night hoping that war would be avoidable. The very next day, we woke to a bomb shower in Europe.
Increased Tension, but No War in the North “Russia decides the relationship with Norway”, says Professor of History Kari Aga Myklebost. In a panel debate she was asked to take a stand on whether or not the Ukraine crisis may become dangerous for Northern Norway. The answer is yes and no.
Norwegian Foreign Minister about the Relationship with Russia: “We Cannot Manage on Our Own” In a speech at the University of Oslo on Tuesday, Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt (Labor) spoke up for allied activity in Norway in relation to the relationship with Russia: “They practice more often, in larger geographical areas, and we see more complex patterns. The asymmetry between Norwegian and Russian military power is enormous. We cannot manage on our own.”
