Moscow Summons Norwegian Diplomat Over Seizure of Research Ship and State Property

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned Norway's chargé d'affaires in Moscow to protest the continuing seizure of Russian state property and a research vessel. The seizure was carried out at Ukraine's request and covers the ship Professor Molchanov, held in the port of Barentsburg on the Svalbard archipelago, as well as five Russian state properties in Norway.

What Moscow said

The ministry condemned the Norwegian court rulings and said it and other relevant agencies would seek to have the seizure lifted. The statement noted that the court ruling was issued on Sept. 22. Moscow also warned that leaving the ship moored through the winter for a prolonged period could lead to operational failure and serious environmental consequences.

According to the ministry, the Professor Molchanov was the main means of carrying personnel and vital supplies to Barentsburg, a Russian coal-mining settlement, after Western sanctions cut off direct air travel with Russia.

The Naftogaz claim behind the seizure

Norwegian authorities seized the ship on Sept. 2 to enforce a court-ordered $4.2 billion arbitration award in favor of Naftogaz, Ukraine's state energy company. In 2023, an arbitration court based in The Hague ordered Russia to compensate Naftogaz for assets expropriated after the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Last Wednesday, a Norwegian court dismissed an appeal by Arktikugol, the state-owned company that manages Russian operations on Svalbard. The court found that the company lacks legal standing to challenge the seizure and ordered it to pay Naftogaz $300,000 in legal fees.