Citing a Norwegian court order, the governor of Svalbard on September 2 announced the seizure of the Professor Molchanov -- a vessel used to shuttle people between Russia and Barentsburg, a Russian mining community in the Norwegian archipelago located 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) south of the North Pole. Norwegian authorities said Tuesday they helped repatriate 69 Russians who got stranded in the Arctic after a Russian ship was seized at the demand of Ukrainian state energy group Naftogaz.Citing a Norwegian court order, the governor of Svalbard on September 2 announced the seizure of the Professor Molchanov -- a vessel used to shuttle people between Russia and Barentsburg, a Russian mining community in the Norwegian archipelago located 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) south of the North Pole."After good dialogue with the consul general of the Russian Federation in Barentsburg and representatives from (Russian state-owned coal mining company) Trust Arktikugol, the governor has today assisted 69 Russian citizens back to Russia," a statement from the governor's office said.The Russian nationals returned via Kirkenes, a town in northern Norway near the Russian border, on Tuesday afternoon, it added.The vessel was seized as Naftogaz sought $4.2 billion from Russia in compensation for the seizure of its assets following Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea.In 2023, a Hague-based arbitratio...
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