Norway’s ambassador summoned to Moscow foreign ministry as wave of propaganda hits the headlines

Updated Sunday 1 November: adds the Kremlin's transcript of the forum session in paragraph 3.

Norway's ambassador to Russia, Heidi Olufsen, was called in to the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow on 3 September, one day after Norwegian authorities detained the Russian vessel Professor Molchanov at Svalbard. The ministry said it handed her a firm protest. It said Norwegian restrictions on Svalbard aimed at Russia breach international law. It said Russians and their organisations active on the archipelago are in effect under a blockade. It also said this discrimination breaches the 1920 Svalbard Treaty. Moscow also rejects the arrest and Norway's recent efforts to limit Russia's lawful presence there, the ministry added.

The meeting followed heavy coverage in Russian state media. By noon on Friday, 4 September, TASS had published 39 items about the vessel and Norway's conduct on Svalbard. Konstantin Zaikov, a professor from Arkhangelsk, said the arrest shows the West seeking a fresh front against Russia in the Arctic. Andrei Chibis, the Governor of Murmansk, called the situation absurd and said Norway is acting unwisely. He also pointed to Russia's Northern Fleet, based on the Kola Peninsula. According to TASS, he is confident that attempts to push Russia out of Svalbard will fail. Viktor Sobolev, a member of the State Duma Defence Committee, told Gazeta.ru that the archipelago is actually Russian, since it is disputed and Soviet-era coal mines remain.

The seizure coincided with a speech by Vladimir Putin at the Eastern Economic Forum, held in Vladivostok. The Barents Observer says that, despite Norwegian media reports, Putin did not mention the Professor Molchanov directly. The Kremlin's transcript shows that the moderator raised the ship, saying Russian assets were under attack, "even the Professor Molchanov". Putin replied that "the hijacking of civilian ships, the attacks on civilian merchant vessels that you brought up" and threats to attack civilian aircraft were "a manifestation of state terrorism". TASS reported the remark without naming the ship. The UN Human Rights Commissioner reported at least 437 civilians killed in Ukraine in July 2026, 17 of them children. It also reported 2,610 injured, 166 of them children. This is the highest monthly figure since May 2022.

A Norwegian court ordered the vessel seized on a petition from Naftogaz Group, a Ukrainian energy firm. Naftogaz said this is part of worldwide efforts to enforce an arbitral award against the Russian Federation. Under that award Russia still owes approximately $4.22 billion, along with interest and costs.

Coverage: The Barents Observer, en.kremlin.ru, tass.com