– I really wondered what PST wanted with me. I wondered if they had intercepted or mapped me, as I have some contact with people in Russia, says Bergtun. On his mobile, he shows the SMS contact with PST. Jon: Hey. Then I got a meeting room in Lillestrøm. Can pick you up outside. Regards Jon Inside the meeting room at Romerike, he met two policemen in civilian clothes. They introduced themselves only by first name. – I felt suspicious. I was told that I had probably been manipulated by the Russians, because I had expressed some opinions. – So they used words like that you could be manipulated? – Yes, and they asked further if I might need a little help to get away from that manipulation. Bergtun is the leader of the soldier organization World Veterans Federation. He opens his computer and shows news pictures where we see him at meetings and congresses around the world. He is photographed on the podium in various countries such as Taiwan, Kazakhstan and Morocco. Several of the pictures are from Russia. – I have been many times in Russia, but at least as often in Ukraine, he says. He brings up a picture where he is interviewed on Ukrainian TV. Photo: private Russophobia One of the articles that PST referred to was a reader post Bergtun wrote in December 2021. It was over two months before the invasion of Ukraine. There he wrote, among other things, about russophobia. – They referred to an article I wrote last year, where I asked questions about whether we were characterized by russophobia in Norway. And that it might escalate the conflict. – Was this a particularly Russian-friendly article, in your opinion? – No, I do not think so. I have received feedback from many who say it is balanced. – How did you react to being called in on the basis of something you have written publicly? – I was amazed. In a democracy, we should be able to express ourselves without being persecuted by public authorities. – But did you get the impression that the police had done other things than read what you have written in public? – No. Things emerged in the conversation that showed that they had a good overview. They knew who I was, what I had done and where I had worked. But there was nothing to suggest that they had done more than map me through open sources. Dan Viggo Bergtun visits Russia during the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II Photo: private PST: – Natural part of the business Communications Director in PST, Trond Hugubakken says that the police have conversations with people from many backgrounds. In the latest open threat assessments, PST writes that they have stepped up activity in relation to Russia. – We do not comment on individual cases, and we do not have statistics that show how many conversations we have with people about Russia. But this is a natural part of our business, says Hugubakken. – It is a natural part of our business to have conversations with people, says information manager Trond Hugubakken in PST Photo: PST Contact with all parties On the shelf in the corridor at Bergtun’s home are the reports that testify to his service in the peacekeeping forces in Lebanon. He has been active in the veteran community for many years, and is the leader of the worldwide organization World Veterans Federation. According to Bergtun, the organization has over 60 million members in 121 countries. This means that he has contact with veterans from many nations – also from warring parties. He shows us an e-mail he just received from the leader of the Russian veterans’ organization. It contains allegations of Ukrainian war crimes. – But I have just as much contact with the Ukrainians. Our job is to look after the veterans’ interest regardless of nationality. We are a humanitarian organization that works for peace, and for there to be as few war veterans as possible in the future. – So your job is really to support veterans from every conceivable regime? – Yes. We must not be political. But it is not always easy. I often feel that we are balancing on a knife edge. In the Balkans, for example, we talked to both war crime victims and people accused of war crimes. On the shelf in the corridor are the reports from Bergtun’s service abroad. Photo: Mohammed Alaouobi / news Divisions in the veteran community The post Bergtun wrote has also created divisions in the veterans community. The Nordic veterans’ organizations have distanced themselves from the content of the article and expressed distrust of Bergtun. – We consider the post as Russian propaganda, says Secretary General Bjørn Robert Dahl of the Norwegian Veterans Association. He warns that the Norwegian department will consider its membership in the umbrella organization. Bergtun has also been criticized for other conditions that lie further back in time. He himself is concerned that the article must be read in light of the fact that it was written long before the Russian invasion. – There are many with strong opinions in the veteran community. But I wrote the article on Russophobia long before the war in Ukraine to warn against an escalation of the conflict. In May 2019, Bergtun was on board the cruiser Moscow in the Crimea in a ceremony in connection with the celebration that it was 75 years since the liberation from Nazi Germany. – I was invited. We laid wreaths. But I also took the opportunity to criticize the annexation of Crimea. Dan Viggo Bergtun visiting the Russian cruiser Moscow. It was this ship that was sunk by Ukrainian forces in April this year. Photo: PRIVATE – Do you understand that PST has taken a certain interest in your person? – Yes, I can in a way understand that. But I do not have any security clearance or access to sensitive information. So I was a little surprised. But the conversation was pleasant, and I naturally do not mind sharing my views either regarding the war in Ukraine, or the veterans’ policy on a global basis, says Bergtun. – I think it was a little strange to be called in for an interview because of an article I wrote, says Dan Viggo Bergtun Photo: Mohammed Alayuobi / news
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Summoned to PST after article about Russia – news Documentary
