Norwegian authorities seized the Russian-owned expedition cruise vessel Professor Molchanov at the port of Barentsburg in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, following a 24-hour standoff with the Norwegian Coast Guard, according to Covington, the U.S. law firm representing Ukraine’s state energy company Naftogaz. The Nord-Troms and Senja District Court approved the seizure application, ordering the governor of Svalbard to enforce the order, supervise the vessel and ensure it is not moved. The action stems from a 2023 ruling by an arbitration tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which found that Russia must compensate Naftogaz and six associated companies for unlawfully seizing Crimean assets including gas fields, pipelines and the Black Sea producer Chornomornaftogaz. The outstanding principal stands at roughly $4.22 billion, a figure that could rise to around $5 billion once interest and costs are included, and Russia has declined to pay.
Naftogaz’s acting CEO Sergii Fedorenko called the seizure “another important step towards restoring justice for Russia’s unlawful seizure of Naftogaz assets in Crimea,” adding that the company “will continue to pursue Russian assets around the world until the compensation awarded to Naftogaz and other Naftogaz Group companies is paid.” Enforcement proceedings tied to the Crimea case are active in roughly ten jurisdictions, with Russian assets already frozen or seized in Finland and France, and Naftogaz coordinating parallel measures in the United States, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Russia’s ambassador to Norway, Nikolai Korchunov, said Moscow would pursue the ship’s release through legal channels, while President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, condemned the seizure as “state terrorism” and warned it could complicate prospects for future peace talks. Svalbard Governor Lars Fause confirmed the vessel would remain berthed at Barentsburg until the governor or the district court rules otherwise, with his office taking responsibility for the crew and passengers in cooperation with Arktikugol, the Russian coal company operating on the archipelago.
Source: Euronews — https://www.euronews.com/business/2026/09/03/norway-seizes-russian-ship-in-the-arctic-over-ukraines-42-billion-crimea-claim
