Court hears Professor Molchanov case, ruling expected within days

Nord-Troms og Senja tingrett (Nord-Troms and Senja District Court) heard lawyers for Trust Arktikugol (Russia's state-owned company on Svalbard) and Naftogaz on 19 October, NRK reported. The Barents Observer said on 22 October that a ruling was expected within days. Arnt Angell, lawyer for Trust Arktikugol, told the court the trust and the people of Barentsburg and Pyramiden are hit financially by the arrest. He said the alternative supply lines are expensive and limited, also because of the geopolitical situation, NRK reported. The ship remains in port in Barentsburg with a limited crew. The Barents Observer also said the vessel has not had a significant role in supplying Barentsburg, contrary to Russian claims.

The Barents Observer also reported that Naftogaz has secured court orders to seize five Russian-owned properties in Oslo. It cited VG as reporting seizures of four bank accounts, 15 cars and 62 snowmobiles. It cited Dagens Næringsliv as having reported earlier in the summer that Russki Dom in Longyearbyen was seized. The government fast-tracked a special regulation in mid-September to safeguard supply lines to the Russian settlements, the Barents Observer said. Justis- og beredskapsdepartementet (the Ministry of Justice and Public Security) adopted the regulation on 18 September. It limits seizure of assets in or on the way to Svalbard's local communities when they are needed to keep those communities running. The ministry said supply lines to some communities on Svalbard are more exposed than on the mainland.

Polar Journal reported that Sysselmesteren (the Governor of Svalbard) enforced the court order of 31 August by detaining the vessel on 2 September. Polar Journal said the Ministry of Justice and Public Security described Norway as not a party to the dispute. It said Russia claims state immunity for the vessel, while Naftogaz points to its commercial use. Russia's ambassador to Norway, Nikolai Korchunov, told the Russian outlet RBC the measure was a politically motivated violation of international law, Polar Journal said.

The open part of the article does not carry that statement; it has been removed.

Coverage: The Barents Observer, Polar Journal, NRK