Second Sanctioned Russian Ship Visits Svalbard at Close of the Year

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Jan. 1 – The Taymir, a Russian cargo vessel that has been under US and Ukrainian sanctions since 2022 (but not EU or Norwegian restrictions) for carrying Russian weapons to Putin’s invasion force in Ukraine, made a four-day stop in Barentsburg in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago.

            The ship, the second Russian ship under sanction to have visited Svalbard in 2025, likely was carrying equipment to the Russian coal mining concern there, according to The Barents Observer (thebarentsobserver.com/news/sanctioned-russian-cargo-carrier-makes-port-call-in-norwegian-archipelago/442791).

            But the ship’s visit is a reminder of Russian capabilities as far as delivering people and equipment to that Norwegian possession where under a 1920 treaty Russia and other signatories have special rights and that because of its location in a key sea lane, some have speculated might be Moscow’s first target in a larger Russian move against NATO and the West.

            For background on that, see windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2025/11/putins-special-envoy-for-svalbard-says.html and windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2025/12/moscow-promises-response-to-faroe.html and the sources cited therein.