[…] The Norwegian town of Longyearbyen and the Russian village of Barentsburg are located on the island, 60 kilometers apart. Barentsburg looks like Little Russia in Norway. […]
The Norwegian and Russian communities always lived together peacefully on Spitsbergen. But that has changed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There is hardly any contact anymore and people’s suspicions are growing. “There is no longer a connection like before, very sad. I had hoped that everything would remain friendly, but that is not the case,” said Lars Fause, governor of Spitsbergen and therefore the representative of the Norwegian government.[…]
Professor of military strategy Tormod Heier calls it a military display. “The Russians are funneling more and more equipment into Spitsbergen, because they want to increase their presence. That must worry the Norwegians.” […]
Suspicion about what is happening in the Russian village was increased by the new man who took up residence at the consulate in Barentsburg: Consul General Andrei Chemerilo. Norwegian investigative journalists revealed this year that he was a secret agent of Russian military intelligence. He himself denies that. Läs artikel