Putin's man in Svalbard moves Victory Day celebration to Western standard

Andrei Chemerilo, the Russian general consul in Barentsburg, marked Victory Day this year on 8 May. Barentsburg is the Russian settlement in Norway's Svalbard archipelago. Chemerilo placed flowers at memorials in two places: Barentsburg itself and Pyramiden, a mining town that has been abandoned.

About 40 people accompanied him, according to photos published on Telegram. Among them was Ildar Neverov, general director of Trust Arktikugol (Russia's state-owned company on Svalbard). Most of those present worked for the General Consulate, the local research centre or Arktikugol. Many carried flags: the Norwegian one, the Arktikugol company banner, and those of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation.

In his speech, Chemerilo remembered local people who died during the war and those who fought against fascism. He said it was a duty to honour the victors, to keep the historical truth about the war, and to honour anti-fascist fighters whatever their nationality.

Compared with 2023, the event was different in two respects. There were no military-style parades this year. There were also no flags of the Ukrainian regions occupied by Russia, which had been displayed in Pyramiden that year.

Barentsburg's consulate has given no explanation for choosing 8 May. That is the date on which victory is marked in Norway and elsewhere in Europe, while Russia as a whole marks it on 9 May. The Russian consulate in Kirkenes, the Norwegian border town, held its own event on 9 May this year.

The Barents Observer asked Nikolai Konygin, the general consul in Kirkenes, why his counterpart in Barentsburg had changed the date while he and his staff stay with 9 May. Konygin replied that he does answer the newspaper's questions.