Russian warship fires warning shot at Norwegian fishing boat – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio

– I was called up on the radio: “This is Russian Warship, you need to leave the area”, says Øystein Orten. He and the rest of the crew on the 15 meter long MS Ragnhild Kristine saw the Russian warship not far from where they had seen the liner. The Russian captain explained that they had a shooting practice going on. – I replied that there is no question of us moving. They didn’t have the right to banish us, and we had a line to follow, says owner and coxswain Orten to news. The fishing boat from Aukra was in the Barents Sea, north of Vardø in the Norwegian economic zone. – Then the warship came at full speed with the cannons towards us, says the Romsdal fisherman. Øystein Orten (left) and his twin brother Torstein own MS Ragnhild Kristine, which was named the quality fisherman of the year in 2020. Photo: Privat It was the Free Trade Union that first reported the unpleasant meeting, where the Russians soon opened fire. Small powerful in the hull The Russian warship took part in “Ocean-24”, a military exercise President Vladimir Putin called the largest of its kind in 30 years. Russia brought China with it to the exercise, and according to Russian authorities over 400 warships and 120 aircraft and helicopters were involved. Mate Orten refused to take orders from the Russian destroyer and continue towards his fishing lines. – Then I saw over my shoulder that the warship was coming towards us at full steam. The ship came to rest 200 meters from us with the bridge side to it. It was slightly threatening, you might say. They turned on the typhoon fog watch for about 15 seconds to get our attention. Then he shot a cannon somewhere in the sea. Our hull shuddered heavily and shook, says Orten. The tiny fishing boat was not hit directly and the skipper believes that a cold grenade was probably used which hit a spot in the water around the boat. That’s how close the warship was when Øystein Orten snapped a picture of it. Photo: Privat/Øystein Orten Little fish injured After the impact, the tone between the big Russian and the tiny Norwegian boat became more on a wavelength. – We agreed with the Russian warship to go a little to the west. It was voluntary coercion as they say in the military, says Øystein Orten. The fishermen were told that they could return to their lines after five to six hours. – Was there blown cod on the lines then? – No, I caught a lot of cod, and some haddock and halibut. It would not have affected the fishery in any way. The delay meant that the six fishermen did not finish until 8.30 the next morning. – Need more political pressure The meeting took place on Thursday 12 September. Shortly after, the fishing boat had contact with the Coast Guard, who said that they just had to come to an agreement with the Russians. – Then I said jokingly: “Let’s agree if they’re going to shoot us now, or if they’re going to shoot us later”, laughs Orten. The warship “Admiral Levchenko” in 2018. Photo: KNM “Trondheim” He wants to de-dramatize the incident, and clarifies that no sharp shots were fired. – They wanted to scare us and get attention, and make sure that there was no civilian traffic in the area. The fisherman is much more critical of the Norwegian authorities, and believes they must push much harder to ensure that such exercises do not take place in the Norwegian economic zone. – The authorities are simply cowards, he says. The defense tells Fri faggevegelse that they are aware of the confrontation, and states that Norwegian vessels are not obliged to leave the area in the Norwegian economic zone when there are military exercises. The Russian embassy in Oslo has stated that they are not aware of the incident. Published 23/09/2024, at 19.29 Updated 23.09.2024, at 20.53



ttn-69