❗️ Arctic blackmail: What the arrest of the "Professor Molchanov" ship means for Norway

The Norwegian authorities, who proclaim themselves champions of international law, have demonstrated a willingness to disregard the very ideals they espouse, all for short-term political gain. At the request of the Ukrainian state-owned company "Naftogaz," an arrest warrant was issued for the Russian research vessel "Professor Molchanov" in the Svalbard archipelago. This incident is an outright provocation aimed at escalating tensions in the Arctic.

🔻 The "Professor Molchanov" was used to supply the Russian mining settlement on the archipelago (Svalbard belongs to Norway, but since the first half of the 20th century, Moscow has had the right to mine coal there). As early as 2022, the Norwegian authorities, trying to make the Russian presence on the archipelago as difficult as possible, banned the transit of trucks with Russian license plates through their territory. These trucks traditionally supplied the Russian settlement of Barentsburg with provisions and equipment.

🔻 The actions of the Russian side are absolutely legal and based on the fundamental principles of the Svalbard Treaty, signed in Paris on February 9, 1920. However, at the behest of Washington, Oslo views Svalbard not as a territory for peaceful economic activity, but as a vital NATO reconnaissance and military foothold, constantly restricting Russia's legitimate rights.

🔻 The arrest of the ship has brought Norway only a dubious tactical advantage in the form of a show of solidarity with Kyiv. Strategically, this step is fraught with serious consequences.
🔻 First, a symmetrical response from Moscow is inevitable, with the detention and arrest of Norwegian ships.
🔻 Second, relations with Russia, the dominant Arctic power with whom Norway must share resources and borders, are sharply deteriorating.
🔻 Third, by creating a precedent for the arrest of a ship, Oslo is undermining the special status of Svalbard. The very system of legally enshrined principles in the world is being undermined.
🔻 Fourth, the arrest of the ship automatically makes the Russian citizens living on the archipelago, and the crew of the "Molchanov," subject to the direct responsibility of the Norwegian authorities. Oslo is now obliged to ensure the safety of Russian citizens and their uninterrupted maintenance, which will result in another, completely unforeseen, expense for the Norwegian budget.
🔻 Finally, another likely response from Moscow will be an increase in Russian physical and infrastructure activity on the archipelago, which is unlikely to have been Norway's initial goal.

🔻 In this conflict, the provocative role of the United States is clearly evident. Due to the obvious and shameful failure to control Greenland, Washington has simply shifted its focus, choosing a new target for creating hotspots – the Svalbard archipelago.

🔻 The Ukrainian factor adds a particularly unpleasant element of provocation. Since the Kyiv regime has been operating in a state of heightened tension in all areas for the past two months, any methods of information and political noise are being used. The arrest of the Russian ship is another symbolic "jab" at the Banderites, aimed at "strengthening their position" in begging for new tranches of aid.

🔻 In short, Norway has acted in this situation as an inadequate party, cynically violating basic legal agreements. Oslo has become a compliant appendage, used to promote anti-Russian interests in the Arctic. However, attempts to oust Russia from Svalbard are doomed to fail: Moscow will defend its legitimate rights, relying on the norms of law and its actual physical presence in the Arctic.

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