Record high: 385 people convicted of espionage and treason in 2025, according to Pervy Otdel (First Department). As said before, Putin is only afraid of one thing - his own people.

🤥 Residents of Valdai in Russia's Novgorod Oblast say they neither saw nor heard any drone strikes or air defence activity on the night of 28-29 December, despite Russian authorities' claims of a drone attack on Russian leader Vladimir Putin's residence.

The Barents Observer in 2025: A year of censorship and repression. And victory against the Russian state

🐴🤡 Lavrov: "Washington believes elections must be held in Ukraine. The numerous Ukrainians living in Russia should also have the right to vote in the elections held in Ukraine."

Ingen tvil om at tidligere ambassadør Robert Kvile ble påvirket av den massive propagandaen i de årene han var i Moskva. Gjenspeiler dette hva som ble fortalt hjem til Oslo er det kanskje ikke så rart UD snakket om å bevare 🇳🇴🇷🇺 forhold, ‘det går over’ tanken? www.forsvaretsforum.no/russland-ute...

Russia just bombed the main highway leading into Kharkiv - heavy traffic with families returning home after Christmas - cars are burning with people in them. And we discuss signing something with them?

Le Monde: The Barents Observer is a «target of intimidation from the Kremlin»

Happy Soviet Union Collapse Day!

Then it is official, the 🇺🇸 will bring back nukes to surface warships, ending a 35-year period without. The best Christmas present Putin could get as 🇷🇺 now can argue arming ‘Admiral Nakhimov’ with ☢️ SLCM-N is only responding to what the United States started.

Researchers Kari Aga Myklebost and Stian Bones, in collaboration with editor of The Barents Observer, Thomas Nilsen, have analyzed how Russia operates in relation to Svalbard. www.tv2.no/nyheter/adva... @thomasnilsen.bsky.social @stianbones.bsky.social @kariagam.bsky.social

The pronoun for a Russian general is "was/were".

"Russland forsøker å få med seg Trump-administrasjonen i retning av å lette på sanksjonene og åpne opp for økonomisk samarbeid i Arktis. Vi må snakke og skrive om det Russland gjør. Det i seg selv er en måte å avkle de russiske handlingsmønstrene." @kariagam.bsky.social @thomasnilsen.bsky.social

#Breaking General Sarvarov, the head of the operational training department of the Russian Armed Forces, was killed in the explosion inside his car on Yasenevaya Street in Moscow, according to the Russian Investigative Committee. tass.ru/proisshestvi...

Over three decades, Norway invested heavily in bridge-building measures aimed at neighbouring Russian regions. It failed. The government in Oslo is now preparing a plan for blowing up bridges in case of a Russian attack

❗️ Russia has begun preparations of strategic bombers for combat mission against Ukraine. During the day, two Tu‑95MS from Ukrainka Air Base arrived at Engels‑2 Air Base, completed arming procedures, and then headed to Olenya Air Base.

Dette er tvilsom bruk av store penger. Send Tangen i Podcast-studio til et redaktørstyrt medie og la han bruke tilsvarende tid til å svare på gode spørsmål om oljefondets investeringer og prioriteringer. www.nettavisen.no/okonomi/norg...

Russia praises Norway for not taking part in guaranteeing a proposed loan against frozen 🇷🇺 assets. Money that would help 🇺🇦 stand strong against the invader. I'm sorry the majority in the 🇧🇻 parliament chose to stand on the wrong side in this important matter.

Russia's repressive regime continues to file cases against the Barents Observer and our exile-journalists. We stay strong and continue to work. #JournalismIsNoCrime #MediaFreedom

Russia celebrates constitution day on December 12, including here at the consulate in Kirkenes. A modest reminder about Article 29.5: "The freedom of mass communication shall be guaranteed. Censorship shall be banned." www.constitution.ru/en/10003000-...

Heilt utenkeleg å samarbeide med ei partileiing der to bur på Oslo aust og ein i Akershus (Høgre). Betre med ei partileiing der to bur på Oslo vest og ein i Akershus (Ap). www.vg.no/nyheter/i/xr...

This new Hybrid CoE paper is a must-read for anyone interested in Svalbard and Russia’s hybrid activities on this strategically important Norwegian Arctic archipelago. 📝 @thomasnilsen.bsky.social @kariagam.bsky.social & @stianbones.bsky.social

Our paper about Russian subversive activities on Svalbard after 2014 is today published by the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE): Download, read and repost 🙌.

Russian soldiers returning from the war in Ukraine have killed or injured over 1,000 people, investigation finds At least 551 people have been killed by returning veterans, more than half by former convicts, according to independent outlet Verstka.

Honored to talk to WSJ about nuclear developments in Europe, including Russia’s nuclear-sharing arrangement in Belarus. www.wsj.com/video/series...

The 🇷🇺 ⚛️ icebreaker 'Yakutiya' is today steaming outside the coast of 🇳🇴 Finnmark on her way back to the Russian Arctic after a docking in Kronstadt, St. Petersburg. For the simple reason that Russia does have a floating dock up north big enough for the new generation icebreakers.

Russia marks its presence at Svalbard by placing a "Christmas tree" outside the entrance to the hotel in Barentsburg. Of course, made of empty bottles of vodka and wine. 🇷🇺🎄🧑‍🎄🍷🍾

Kremlin says new US security strategy accords largely with Russia's view reut.rs/4qefvUL

Russia's autocracy doesn't worry about NATO. What terrifies Moscow is independent media, unbiased journalism and flourishing support for democracy. We promise to provide more of exactly that.

Freaking scared of their own people chatting to each other, 🇷🇺 today blocked SnapChat. Yesterday it was FaceTime and before that WhatsApp, X, Facebook & Instagram. I guess they now are working hard to figure out how to block Telegram. #FightCensorship

This is hilarious 🤣

Cut Trump out of all talks on Russia-Ukraine relations! 1. Trump overwhelmingly supports Putin's aggression, even voting for it in the UN. 2. Trump has given no military or financial aid to Ukraine. 3. Trump issued an ultimatum to Ukraine to effectively surrender by Nov 27. /1

Absolutely nothing indicates putin wants peace. Absolutely everything indicates he prefers continued confrontation. Which is why russia must be decisively deterred, its economy choked, its leaders held accountable. Land grabs, aggression and war crimes must never pay off. #StandWithUkraine

By redeploying half of all operative Tu-22 bombers to Kola, and sending them on missions around the Nordic-Baltic region, 🇷🇺 hopes to scare the countries from giving more support to 🇺🇦. As always, Moscow miscalculates the unity of its neighbours. www.thebarentsobserver.com/security/bom... 🇸🇪🇫🇮🇪🇪🇱🇻🇱🇹🇳🇴

Russian lawmakers widen their attacks on exile-journalists. A new bill could open for seizure of properties and savings from anyone designated as "foreign agents". Most of the well-known media personalities who fled the country are on that list.

🫢

Minus 30 degrees outside, plus 10 inside. While the men are waging hot war on foreign soil, the wives and children of military men from the Kola Peninsula live through ice-cold winter days without heating in their houses

Nordic-Baltic will continue to arm Ukraine and strengthen Europe’s defence to deter further Russian aggression. As long as Russia continues its war against Ukraine, we will also support strengthening sanctions and wider economic measures.

This zigzag is how tonight’s flight in southern Arkhangelsk region looks like on FlightRadar due to severe jamming. Drones downed in the area earlier today. www.thebarentsobserver.com/security/war...

For å understreke at grenser ikke kan flyttes med makt kan gjerne en av 🇳🇴 nye fregatter hete KNM Varangerfjord, evt. KNM Kirkenes hvis bynavn velges. www.forsvaretsforum.no/fregatt-kron...

A good look back on the 2015 🇷🇺🇧🇻 Storskog migrant crisis. FSB's fingerprints were found all over the operation. By @kaeggen.bsky.social sky.social & Jyri Lavikainen.

Out of sight out of mind: Putin’s war criminals want to hide the growing number of disabled, limbless soldiers. Opens giant hospital-centre in closed military town Mirny, deep into faraway forests in Arkhangelsk Oblast.

The best part of "peace plan" is part of Russian seized assets go to "developing US-Russia trade". Which is euphemism for "Donald takes his bribe".

Authorities have again shut down the mobile internet in Arkhangelsk and Severodvinsk. Air traffic in Kotlas (southern Arkhangelsk region) is halted for "security reasons". 29.ru/text/world/2...

Very good, adequate response by Poland. Hopefully, Oslo will one day understand that Russia's provocation consulate in Kirkenes should follow down the same lane.

One of the most shameful moments in American modern history.

Nothing to see here. Just another weekend competition for kids in Murmansk. Who are fastest to disassemble & reassemble a Kalashnikov rifle blindfolded.

Moscow is making great efforts in building its Runet — a closed and strictly controlled Russian internet. The Barents Observer has compiled an overview of what is happening in the Russian segment of the internet

🇳🇴 has some strange rules for allied flights. 🇺🇸 P-8s with take-off from Evenes (northern Norway) can track 🇷🇺 subs in Norwegian Sea, but not in international waters north of the Varanger fjord. So, this 🇺🇸 ✈️ tonight comes all the way from 🇮🇸 Keflavik.

He turned 18, signed a contract, and was dead a month later. Our analysis finds hundreds of teenage recruits among Russia’s war dead, a rise fuelled by relaxing laws and allowing criminal suspects to sign contracts from detention. Read the full update: en.zona.media/article/2025...