Newsletter: The Arctic Feels Russia´s War

Rune Rafaelsen, former head of the Norwegian Barents Secretariat and former Mayor of Sør-Varanger municipality in Northern Norway (Labor). (Photo: Astri Edvardsen)

Published at: Sep 24 2023 - 17:31 / Updated at: Sep 24 2023 - 17:31

Dear reader. The US is tightening sanctions while an increasingly pressured Russia is withdrawing further from Western cooperation. There is also high military activity in the Arctic. Here is the week that passed in the north.

Text Trine Jonassen

We who live in the Arctic are constantly reminded of the war raging on the continent.

“Just over a week ago I sailed through dense fog on South-Spitsbergen in Svalbard. But "when the fog lifted, the Russians stared at me", as it is goes in the song, writes Editor-in-Chief Arne O. Holm in this week's commentary (Norwegian only).

Because the cod that is caught in the Barents Sea and eventually lands in Russia, is exported to a large extent - and is in a sense involved in financing Russia´s war in Europe."

Existing Western sanctions targeting Russia’s Arctic oil and gas have only had limited impact.

Now the US aims to further slow down key energy projects in the region.

On Monday, Russia announced that an exit from the Barents Euro-Arctic Council.

“Now we in the north should concentrate on stronger interaction with the Finns and Swedes”, believes Barents veteran Rune Rafaelsen (Norwegian only).

And a new survey shows that Icelanders are positive about Nordic cooperation, but support for the NATO membership and defense cooperation with the USA has decreased.