Latest news with #Arktikugol
Hindustan Times
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
The Russian-run town squatting on NATO territory
A BUST OF Lenin glowers over the square in Barentsburg. Public signs are in Cyrillic script; murals and banners celebrate Russian scientists and artists. Russia's tricolour flaps from buildings beside ones for Arktikugol, a Russian mining company. A Russian outfit provides the phone service, and shops sell Russian gherkins, tinned fish and fizzy drinks. Russian scientific institutes dot the town. Outside one, bathed in midnight sunshine, two geologists explain they are on their annual research visit from St Petersburg. You might think this settlement is part of Russia. It's not. Barentsburg is a geopolitical quirk: a Russian company town squatting on Svalbard, an Arctic archipelago that belongs to Norway. The NATO country has undisputed control, thanks to a treaty that came into force on August 14th 1925. As The Economist went to press, Jonas Store, Norway's prime minister, was set to preside over a 100th anniversary ceremony in Longyearbyen, Svalbard's capital. But the treaty also grants nationals and companies from other countries broad rights to exploit resources there, notably by mining coal. Russians have done so since the 1930s. Some western intelligence officials fear the arrangement gives Russia an opening to cause trouble. Norway's intelligence chief, Admiral Nils Andreas Stensonses, warned in June that lately the Arctic 'gets more attention' from Russia, in part because the Baltic Sea has become unfriendly waters since it invaded Ukraine. Three years ago Russian trawlers sabotaged a communications cable that runs hundreds of kilometres from Svalbard to the Norwegian mainland. The next year Vladimir Putin's administration designated Norway as unfriendly. In March Russia accused Norway of breaching the treaty with its military activity in Svalbard. For the people in Barentsburg, and the handful in the even smaller coal-mining town of Pyramiden nearby, that means growing isolation. One woman who says she arrived from Moscow a month ago to work with tourists confides that she is desperate to leave. The town's population had already slumped from a peak, last century, of of almost 2,000 to an estimated 340. Its uneconomic mine produces poor-quality sulphurous coal that is burnt locally: the power station's two chimneys spew sooty clouds over nearby glaciers. Ukrainians, who used to do the mining, have mostly gone. Liberal Russians also fled. Some decamped to prosperous Longyearbyen, 40km away by boat, snowmobile or helicopter. One Russian there explains it grew too 'complicated' to stay in Barentsburg after she spoke out against the Ukraine war. Another says he is trapped on the island without a passport, as he vows never to return to Russia. Even popping back to Barentsburg carries risks. Russians who travelled from Longyearbyen to vote in last year's presidential elections say they were searched on arrival and had to cast ballots under the eye of local officials. Svalbard's Norwegian governor, Lars Fause, supervises the Russian-run towns. He reports no tensions, but officials now discourage Norwegians and foreign tourists from visiting them. Some still do, to hike, ski and spot wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and whales. Ageing Soviet architecture is another draw. A garish orange-and-white block from 1974, the Stele, is promoted as 'the world's northernmost skyscraper'. It is four storeys tall. Relations between the towns were better in the cold war. The mayor of Longyearbyen, Terje Aunevik, notes that the residents have stopped exchanging visits on national days. The Russian parades are more militaristic nowadays, he says, and involve symbols of cultural difference such as a wooden Orthodox cross. One pro-Putin bishop has paid repeated visits to be filmed beside Orthodox religious items. One of the geologists from St Petersburg says he surveyed territory in Svalbard for decades, looking for rare-earth and other minerals alongside Polish, German and Norwegian scientists. Today he works only with fellow Russians. A Norwegian marine biologist in Longyearbyen says her previous research with Russian colleagues in monitoring the sea and ice in the nearby fjord has ended. Russia won't close its crumbling settlement. It would like to host a research centre on the island for scientists from the Global South, though the Norwegians are unlikely to allow that. The town still has propaganda and, perhaps, intelligence value for Mr Putin. The coal in Barentsburg may not be worth digging out, but it gives Russians an excuse to remain dug in.
Economist
2 days ago
- Politics
- Economist
A corner of NATO where Lenin presides Barentsburg, a Russian-run company town in Arctic Norway, could become a geopolitical headache
Aug 11th 2025 A bust of Lenin glowers over the square in Barentsburg. Public signs are in Cyrillic script; murals and banners celebrate Russian scientists and artists. Russia's tricolour flaps from buildings beside ones for Arktikugol, a Russian mining company. A Russian outfit provides the phone service, and shops sell Russian gherkins, tinned fish and fizzy drinks. Russian scientific institutes dot the town. Outside one, bathed in midnight sunshine, two geologists explain they are on their annual research visit from St Petersburg. You might think this settlement is part of Russia. It's not. Barentsburg is a geopolitical quirk: a Russian company town squatting on Svalbard, an Arctic archipelago that belongs to Norway. The NATO country has undisputed control, thanks to a treaty that came into force on August 14th 1925. As The Economist went to press, Jonas Store, Norway's prime minister, was set to preside over a 100th anniversary ceremony in Longyearbyen, Svalbard's capital. But the treaty also grants nationals and companies from other countries broad rights to exploit resources there, notably by mining coal. Russians have done so since the 1930s. Some western intelligence officials fear the arrangement gives Russia an opening to cause trouble. Norway's intelligence chief, Admiral Nils Andreas Stensonses, warned in June that lately the Arctic 'gets more attention' from Russia, in part because the Baltic Sea has become unfriendly waters since it invaded Ukraine. Three years ago Russian trawlers sabotaged a communications cable that runs hundreds of kilometres to the Norwegian mainland. The next year Vladimir Putin's administration designated Norway as unfriendly. In March Russia accused Norway of breaching the treaty with its military activity in Svalbard. For the people in Barentsburg, and the handful in the even smaller coal-mining town of Pyramiden nearby, that means growing isolation. One woman who says she arrived from Moscow a month ago to work with tourists confides that she is desperate to leave. The town's population had already slumped from a peak of almost 2,000 last century to an estimated 340. Its uneconomic mine produces poor-quality sulphurous coal that is burnt locally: the power station's two chimneys spew sooty clouds over nearby glaciers. Ukrainians, who used to do the mining, have mostly gone. Liberal Russians also fled. Some decamped to prosperous Longyearbyen, 40km away by boat, snowmobile or helicopter. One Russian there explains it grew too 'complicated' to stay in Barentsburg after she spoke out against the Ukraine war. Another says he is trapped on the island without a passport, as he vows never to return to Russia. Even popping back to Barentsburg carries risks. Russians who travelled from Longyearbyen to vote in last year's presidential elections say they were searched on arrival and had to cast ballots under the eye of local officials. Svalbard's Norwegian governor, Lars Fause, supervises the Russian-run towns. He reports no tensions, but officials now discourage Norwegians and foreign tourists from visiting them. Some still do, to hike, ski and spot wildlife including polar bears, walruses, and whales. Ageing Soviet architecture is another draw. A garish orange-and-white block from 1974, the Stele, is promoted as 'the world's northernmost skyscraper'. It is four storeys tall. Relations between the towns were better in the cold war. The mayor of Longyearbyen, Terje Aunevik, notes that the residents have stopped exchanging visits on national days. The Russian parades are more militaristic nowadays, he says, and involve symbols of cultural difference such as a wooden Orthodox cross. A few Soviet flags have been painted on structures in Barentsburg. Russians can enter Svalbard, visa free, if they travel by boat from Murmansk. One pro-Putin bishop has paid repeated visits to be filmed beside Orthodox religious items. Explore more → The far north has become NATO's soft underbelly, writes John Bolton → Mikhail Komin on why the Arctic is Putin's next front → Confrontation in the Arctic is not inevitable, argues Kieran Mulvaney One of the geologists from St Petersburg says he surveyed territory in Svalbard for decades, looking for rare-earth and other minerals alongside Polish, German and Norwegian scientists. Today he works only with fellow Russians. A Norwegian marine biologist in Longyearbyen says her previous research with Russian colleagues in monitoring the sea and ice in the nearby fjord has ended. Russia won't close its crumbling settlement. It has proposed a research centre on the island for scientists from the Global South, though the Norwegians are unlikely to allow that. The town still has propaganda and, perhaps, intelligence value for Mr Putin. The coal in Barentsburg may not be worth digging out, but it gives Russians an excuse to remain dug in. Images: Ingun Alette Mæhlum More from
Time of India
02-05-2025
- Time of India
Polar bear chases man through Arctic snow – Watch the video to see what happens next
A shocking video from the Arctic is going viral on social media – it shows a man running through the snow with a polar bear chasing him. The short but intense clip highlights how unpredictable life in the far north can be, where the boundary between humans and wild animals is getting thinner. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This scary incident happened in Pyramiden, a remote village in the Svalbard archipelago, where polar bear sightings have become more common lately. What's usually a rare and careful encounter suddenly turned dangerous– and it was all caught on camera. Locals in Pyramiden say they've been seeing polar bears around the village more often in recent weeks. The animals have been drawn to snowmobiles, food supplies, and even buildings, as their natural habitat keeps shrinking with the melting Arctic ice. Watch the video here: In this case, things got dangerous fast. A polar bear, instead of backing off like others, charged straight at a Russian mining manager. He tried to run but dropped his rifle, while nearby people screamed, "No! Go away," desperately trying to distract the bear. The man's quick thinking probably saved his life. As the bear got closer, he managed to jump onto a snowmobile and speed away just in time. The whole event lasted only moments but has had a lasting impact on those who saw it– and on the thousands who've since watched the video online. A source from Arktikugol , the Russian company working in the area, told the Daily Mail that both the man and the polar bear got away without any injuries. Incidents like this highlight how often humans and animals now cross paths in the Arctic. As one Arktikugol source shared with the Daily Mail, "Bears often enter Pyramiden because their migration route passes through the area. Some bears are aggressive, while others are more cautious and skittish."
India Today
01-05-2025
- India Today
Man runs for his life as polar bear charges in terrifying video
A harrowing video of a man running for his life as a polar bear chased him through the snow in a remote Arctic island has surfaced on the incident took place in the village of Pyramiden, where residents have been trying to scare off polar bears spotted near their snowmobiles for a while now. One bear, however, refused to back down and instead charged at a Russian mining Go away,' onlookers shouted as the man ran for his life. Terrified, the man dropped his rifle but managed to leap onto a snowmobile just in time, escaping with only seconds to spare. Watch the video here:Polar Bear Crashes Party in PyramidenLate Sunday night, a polar bear wandered into Pyramiden, Norway, an old mining town-turned-tourist spot run by a Russian were mid-party at the hotel when the bear showed up. Warning shots didn't scare it off, and one Volcaholic (@volcaholic1) April 29, 2025'Bears frequently enter Pyramiden because their migration route runs through the area. Some bears are aggressive, while others are more timid and skittish,' a source from Arktikugol, a Russian Arctic coal company operating in the region, told the Daily source also said that both the man and the bear are 'currently fine'.Polar bears don't typically hunt humans but may attack if they feel threatened or are especially Watch
Daily Mail
30-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Man runs for his life from a rampaging polar bear after he tried to shoot it
A man was captured on film desperately running away from a furious polar bear after he had attempted to shoot it on a remote Arctic island. Residents of the village of Pyramiden had been trying to scare off bears after one was spotted sniffing around residents' snowmobiles. But a clip shot on the Norwegian island of Svalbard showed the moment one brazen creature, undeterred even by a volley of gunshots, turned and gave chase. A Russian mining manager was seen bounding through the snow as onlookers shouted out 'No! Go away!' at the bear. The animal, capable of running at speeds of up to 25mph, charged at the man who, in his panic, dropped his rifle as he leapt onto a snowmobile. The bear was seen just feet away from the lucky Russian as the snowmobile came to his dramatic rescue. The alarm at the Pyramiden came as the mining manager was trying to scare away polar bears from the village, which is popular with tourists. At the time, there were about 80 people in the settlement, who were staying at the Tulip Hotel, said a source at Arktikugol, a Russian Arctic coal company operating in the settlement. A person from the firm explained: 'Bears frequently enter Pyramiden because their migration route runs through the area. Some bears are aggressive, while others are more timid and skittish.' The manager had a lucky escape as the bear closed in. While bears are not active predators of humans, they will attack if especially hungry or threatened. Last year, two polar bears killed a worker at a remote Arctic radar station in Canada's Nunavut territory. 'Employees of the trust undergo training and monitor the safety of tourists, among other duties,' the Arktikugol source explained. 'Both the man and the bear are currently fine,' he said of the undated scare in Pyramiden. 'No-one was injured.' Voices were heard in the clip admiring how the production manager had risked his life to scare the bear, as one said: 'Very brave guy. Damn, that guy is brave.' There are around 300 polar bears on Svalbard. The same one had been seen two days earlier 'inspecting snowmobiles'. Eyewitnesses said food had been left in the vehicles which attracted the predator.
