Norway’s, left, and NATO’s flags are seen during a military exercise ‘Iron Wolf 2025-I’ at the Gaiziunai Training Area, Lithuania, on May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis, File)
\n\nRussian President Vladimir Putin sits prior to the plenary session at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
\n\nOSLO, Norway (AP) — Norwegian authorities seized a Russian vessel in the remote Arctic archipelago of Svalbard at the request of Ukraine, drawing a condemnation Thursday from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who compared it to “state terrorism.”
\n\nA court in Norway ordered the seizure as part of efforts by Ukraine’s state energy company Naftogaz to recover a $4.22 billion arbitration award. It stems from Russia’s 2014 illegal annexation of Crimea and its seizure of Ukrainian energy assets, including gas fields and pipelines.
\n\nAfter Moscow’s refusal to pay the 2023 award, Naftogaz has been petitioning national courts seeking orders to seize Russian commercial assets.
\n\nThe vessel, Professor Molchanov, is used for commercial expedition cruises, including to Svalbard, which sits more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of the Norwegian mainland. It’s known for its stunning snow-covered mountains, fjords and glaciers.
\n\n“This is another important…
Original source: https://apnews.com/business