The Russian ship “Professor Molchanov” was arrested in Norway

The arrest of the Russian ship "Professor Molchanov" in Norway became part of a general campaign by the West to seize ships associated with Russia. This opinion was expressed to RIA Novosti by political scientist and professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway Glenn Diesen.

“This is part of a broader campaign [of Western countries against Russia],” the expert said. He clarified that first the term “shadow fleet” was invented in the West, and the next step was the seizure of ships, for which they come up with legal justifications.

Earlier, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, called Norway’s arrest of the Russian research vessel Professor Molchanov piracy. Zakharova emphasized that the ship is the only means of providing Russian villages on Spitsbergen with everything they need.

The diplomat emphasized that in this way the arrest of the Russian ship is nothing more than another attempt to limit the Russian presence in the archipelago, preventing the Russian Federation from exercising its legal rights, and a violation of Norway’s obligations under the 1920 Spitsbergen Treaty.

The ship "Professor Molchanov" was arrested in Norway by a court decision as part of a lawsuit by the Ukrainian company Naftogaz. It is located in the port of Barentsburg on Spitsbergen.