Norway seizes a Russian vessel in remote Arctic, drawing Putin's ire

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OSLO, Norway (AP) — Norwegian authorities seized a Russian vessel in the remote Arctic archipelago of Svalbard at the request of Ukraine, drawing a condemnation Thursday from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who compared it to “state terrorism.”

A court in Norway ordered the seizure as part of efforts by Ukraine’s state energy company Naftogaz to recover a $4.22 billion arbitration award. It stems from Russia’s 2014 illegal annexation of Crimea and its seizure of Ukrainian energy assets, including gas fields and pipelines.

After Moscow’s refusal to pay the 2023 award, Naftogaz has been petitioning national courts seeking orders to seize Russian commercial assets.

The vessel, Professor Molchanov, is used for commercial expedition cruises, including to Svalbard, which sits more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of the Norwegian mainland. It's known for its stunning snow-covered mountains, fjords and glaciers.

“This is another important step towards restoring justice for Russia’s unlawful seizure of Naftogaz assets in Crimea," Naftogaz CEO Sergii Fedorenko said. "Russia cannot evade responsibility simply by refusing to comply with an international arbitral award. We will continue to pursue Russian assets around the world.”

Putin, speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, criticized the vessel seizure and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s warning to foreign airlines to avoid Russia because of Ukrainian long-range drone attacks.

Putin said such incidents “complicated” the prospects for future peace talks. He added that Ukraine’s allies were “complicit in international terrorism” by remaining silent on the issues.

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Norway’s ambassador to Moscow, Heidi Olufsen, to lodge a protest about the seizure of the vessel.

It said the ship belongs to Russia’s state weather and environmental monitoring agency Rosgidromet and carried workers, scientists and cargo to Russian settlements on one of the islands in Svalbard.

Seizure of the vessel left Russian citizens and organizations there “effectively under a state of blockade,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that Moscow “will seek to lift the vessel’s arrest.”

Russia’s ambassador to Norway, Nikolai Korchunov, told the state news agency Tass that the seizure was a “politically motivated violation of international law.”

He court's decision to seize the vessel would be appealed and that the embassy was in contact with the ship’s crew and passengers, Tass quoted him as saying.

Svalbard Gov. Lars Fause said in a statement that the vessel was not allowed to leave its current location in Barentsburg.