[🏴‍☠️](https://max.ru/dva_majors)**Norway Joins Piracy Against Russia**

The governor of **Svalbard** has ordered the **arrest of the Russian vessel "Professor Molchanov"** in the port of Barentsburg, **based on a decision by the District Court of Nord-Troms and Senja** on August 31st. This is a precautionary measure related to a ruling by the tribunal in The Hague in favor of NAK "Naftogaz" (from 2023), **requiring** **Russia to pay** the Ukrainian side **$4.22 billion** for assets in Crimea and the Black Sea.

The **"Professor Molchanov"** is a research vessel of the ice class "Academic Shuleikin," which **is involved in transporting cargo, personnel, residents, and tourists from Murmansk to Barentsburg** (a Russian mining settlement on Svalbard, operated by the state-owned trust "Arktikugol").

Russia has announced plans to **challenge the arrest**, which is expected to drag on for many months and is **unlikely to yield a positive result**. In the meantime, supplying the Russian settlement of Barentsburg will require **emergency solutions**, which will create additional costs for the budget.

In fact, these actions create **a precedent for at least the long-term blocking of the operation of Russian ships worldwide**, as well as the potential confiscation of Russia's international assets.

A year ago, [the Vienna Regional Court allowed "Naftogaz" to seize Russian assets in Austria](https://t.me/dva_majors/77872) worth more than €120 million as part of a ruling in that case.

It is noteworthy that Norway is **one of the main beneficiaries of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict**. Since the sabotage of the "Nord Stream" pipelines, it has received **extraordinary profits from the sale of gas to the EU, amounting to approximately €200 billion**, and has provided **approximately €20 billion** to Ukraine.

Undoubtedly, dozens, if not hundreds, of **ships flying the Norwegian flag or operating in the interests of Norwegian companies** operate **in areas of responsibility of the fleets of the Russian Navy.**

[Two Majors](http://t.me/two_majors)