– Their activities are a threat to Norwegian interests, says Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt. The Russians have been in Norway as diplomats, but the Norwegian authorities believe that they have actually been engaged in intelligence. – The 15 intelligence officers are declared undesirable because they have conducted activities that are incompatible with their diplomatic status, says Huitfeldt. All of the unwanted Russians must leave the country shortly. The foreign minister cannot say exactly how long they have. The Russian embassy: – Extremely unfriendly The Russian embassy confirms to news that 15 embassy employees have been declared undesirable in Norway. – The reaction is strongly negative. This is another extremely unfriendly step, which will be followed up with countermeasures, says the embassy’s press spokesman Timur Chekanov to news. Embassy of Russia in Oslo. Photo: Vegard Tjørhom Norway’s relationship with Russia is now at an absolute minimum, says Foreign Minister Huitfeldt. – We feel that we are more vulnerable, and that their activity in Norway has more damage than before. The Norwegian authorities have followed the activities of the 15 embassy employees for a long time. The worsening security policy situation and the increased threat from Russian intelligence activity against Norway is the reason why they are now unwanted in the country. – Russia is the biggest intelligence threat in Norway. We take that seriously, and we are now taking action to counter Russian intelligence activities in this country, says Huitfeldt. The foreign minister cannot answer specifically what the expelled Russians are supposed to have done, and refers to PST. But the Police Security Service (PST) is currently referring back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, senior adviser Eirik Veum tells news. The police security service’s headquarters in Oslo Photo: Helge Carlsen / Helge Carlsen/news The expulsion of the 15 Russians takes place just days before news, SVT, DR and Yle publish an extensive journalistic work specifically about Russian intelligence in the Nordic region. In the documentary series “The Shadow War”, various sources tell of a large and growing intelligence activist in the Nordic countries. The series will be published on news TV later in April. There have been several expulsions after the Ukraine war. Also in April last year, three Russians had to leave the country because Norway thought they were intelligence officers. Russia then responded by expelling three Norwegian diplomats. What Russia will do this time is not yet clear. – Russia has no reason to react against Norway, says Huitfeldt. She emphasizes that no Norwegian diplomats in Russia deal with intelligence. According to what news knows, there are now 19 Norwegian diplomats in Russia. If Russia also this time expels as many as Norway has expelled, there will therefore be few diplomats left in Russia. – I want to emphasize that Norway wants normal diplomatic relations with Russia, and that Russian diplomats are welcome in Norway. What we are doing now is aimed exclusively at unwanted intelligence activities, says Huitfeldt. Other European countries have also recently taken measures to reduce the number of Russian intelligence officers in their own countries. – In recent years, several hundred Russian intelligence officers in other countries have been declared undesirable, says Huitfeldt. Gets support from the opposition Venstre leader Guri Melby is satisfied that Norway is taking action when it comes to the suspected intelligence officers. Guri Melby, leader of the Liberal Party Photo: William Jobling / news – It is reassuring to see that the government is taking the threat from Russian intelligence against Norway seriously. I would like to commend the government for this decision. It is necessary to take a tougher line towards Russia going forward, says Melby. Høyre’s Ine Eriksen Søreide chairs the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Storting. She is not surprised by today’s deportation of 15 Russians, and says that it is precisely what the Norwegian intelligence services have warned against. Ine Eriksen Søreide (H), chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee at the Storting Photo: William Jobling / news – That the Russians pose the biggest intelligence threat to Norway. After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the contact surfaces have become fewer and this means that Russian intelligence services use more aggressive means to obtain information from Norway, including the use of intelligence officers. Søreide believes that Norway must count on far more ongoing Russian intelligence in the future as well. The Progress Party is also satisfied with the government’s decision on deportation. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, foreign policy spokesman in the FRP Photo: Stortinget – The Progressive Party is convinced that the security service is doing thorough work to expose Russian intelligence activities in Norway and it is important that Norway is clear in our reaction to this activity. The Progressive Party therefore fully supports the government’s decision, says FRP foreign policy spokesman Christian Tybring-Gjedde.
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– A threat to Norway – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
