Paul
Goble
Staunton, October 2 – Five days ago,
the Norwegian internet paper AldriMer reported that a unit of Russian
special services had been observed on the Spitzbergen Archipelago and were carrying
their weapons, something prohibited by the agreement governing that region (aldrimer.no/russiske-spesialstyrker-pa-norsk-jord/).
Despite the fact that the portal had
photographs and multiple sources, the Russian government and Russian media
immediately denounced the whole thing as “fake news” and “a provocation” threatening
war in Europe (norway.mid.ru/ru/embassy/press-centre/news/kommentariy_posolstva_v_svyazi_s_publikatsiey_sayta_aldrimer_no_po_povodu_yakoby_deystviy_rossiyskog/
and regnum.ru/news/polit/2737689.html).
In reporting on this in Moscow’s Novaya
gazeta, Russian journalist Tatyana Britskaya says that the Norwegians are
especially concerned about this both because many have watched the dystopian
television series “Occupied” about a Russian occupation of Norway and because
there is good evidence that Russian units have visited Spitzbergen before (novayagazeta.ru/articles/2019/10/02/82194-po-rabote-ezdili).
Britskaya provides a detailed
summary of one such visit which involved forces from Chechnya who did little to
conceal what they were doing but rather posted pictures and comments about
going to the Arctic in 2016. Such
violations of international law, nothing new by Putin’s Russia, are necessarily
disturbing and clearly intended to keep the West off balance even if Moscow doesn’t
follow them up.
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