VG: the court in Oslo seized Russian property at the request of the Ukrainian Naftogaz

EADaily reported on 21 October that a court in Oslo has seized Russian property at the request of Ukraine's Naftogaz, citing the Norwegian newspaper VG.

NRK, in a report from the news agency NTB on 20 October, said Naftogaz had won court backing to seize five Russian properties in Oslo. NRK said the company's lawyers put the total claim against the Russian state at 57 billion Norwegian kroner, with interest and costs. NRK said Naftogaz is pursuing Russian assets after the annexation of Crimea, and that the claim rests on a 2023 arbitral award in The Hague. According to NRK, a seizure is the first step towards a possible forced sale.

The Barents Observer reported on 22 October, citing VG, that the Oslo tingrett (Oslo District Court) authorised the seizures. The properties are one apartment building in Frogner, three flats in other western districts and one flat in Sinsen, it said. It also said a tribunal in The Hague ordered Russia in 2023 to pay Naftogaz $4.2 billion, with interest and legal costs on top.

The Barents Observer said VG reported that 62 snowmobiles, 15 cars and four bank accounts have been seized. It counted the snowmobiles and cars among Russian assets on Svalbard. It said Dagens Næringsliv had reported earlier in the summer that Russki Dom in Longyearbyen, used by the travel agency Grumant, was seized. Sysselmesteren (the Governor of Svalbard) rejected the Barents Observer's request for information about other assets. Justis- og beredskapsdepartementet (the Ministry of Justice and Public Security) had not answered its questions. It said Naftogaz has also won seizure rulings in Finland, France and Austria.

The Barents Observer said a court in northern Norway approved the seizure of the vessel Professor Molchanov on 31 August, which prompted strong protests in Moscow. The vessel remains in port in Barentsburg with a limited crew. 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. The Barents Observer said the Norwegian government fast-tracked a special regulation in mid-September for supplies to the Russian settlements on Svalbard. The ministry 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. 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 Russian Embassy in Oslo and Arktikugol have said the vessel supplies Barentsburg. The Barents Observer said it has not played a significant role, and that other cargo vessels bring food, fuel and machinery.

Correction, 27 October 2026: an earlier version placed four seized bank accounts on Svalbard. The Barents Observer placed only the snowmobiles and cars there.

Coverage: EADaily, The Barents Observer, NRK