– I am not surprised. For two years, the intelligence service has talked a lot about the new Russian military doctrine, which states that civilian vessels must also be used for military purposes. This is what former Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs, Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide (H), says about what is revealed in the Brennpunkt documentary “The Shadow War”. Through a large-scale collaboration with the Nordic public broadcasters Denmark’s Radio (DR), Sweden’s Television (SVT) and Finnish Yle, news has mapped how Russian shipping traffic can be used for espionage in the Nordics. A systematic review of the tracks shows that at least 50 ships for ten years have had the opportunity to collect information in secret. The Russian embassy in Oslo denies that the vessels are doing anything illegal, and calls the accusations Russophobia which smacks of ethnic discrimination. – We must follow closely, and we do Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) was among the first to comment on the revelations. He assures that the Norwegian authorities are watching closely. – We have seen in recent weeks that we have reacted when we have reason to believe that people are operating under the guise of being something other than what they are. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap). The Prime Minister refers to the long Norwegian coast, in which there is great interest. – It is legal to sail along the coast according to international laws. We cannot tamper with it, but we must keep a close eye on it from the air, on the sea, in the digital world, and we will, says the Prime Minister. Gunnar Fugelsø, head of PST in Troms. Photo: Per Inge A. Åsen / news – That Russian vessels have been and will be used for espionage in our ports and nearby fjords is not new to us, says Gunnar Fugelsø, head of PST in Troms. Fugelsø says that he does not want to go into detail about how PST works in such cases, but that they have a collaboration with local authorities, municipalities, police, customs and the coast guard. – At the same time, it is important for me to mention that fishing and other maritime activities in Northern Norway are a link in a larger value chain that affects us widely. Preventive security work is important to prevent this threat. Not surprised None of the politicians that news has spoken to following the publication are surprised by the findings. FrP’s parliamentary representative, Christian Tybring-Gjedde, draws lines between today’s activity and the Cold War. Now the FRP wants to get an account of what has actually happened, whether Norway has had control over this and what has been done. Christian Tybring-Gjedde in Frp. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten Bjørnar Moxnes (Red) is also not surprised by news’s revelations. He believes that Norway has been blue-eyed for a long time. – What is needed now is to rebuild the defense of the coast, re-establish the maritime homeland security and get more eyes and ears along the coast. This way we can deter that type of intelligence operation and gain knowledge about what is going on. – Is it possible to stop Russian espionage along the coast? – It is probably not possible to stop all forms of intelligence, but it is entirely possible not to leave the coast wide open to foreign powers. That’s where it is now, says Moxnes. Bjørnar Moxnes in Red. Photo: Cicilie S. Andersen / news Action required Last autumn, the government chose to limit port access for Russian fishing vessels to the ports of Kirkenes, Tromsø and Båtsfjord. Norway and the Faroe Islands have so far been the only countries in Europe that have let in Russian fishing vessels. The government has justified this with regard to Norwegian-Russian fisheries management. Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide in the Conservative Party. Photo: ISMAIL BURAK AKKAN / news Eriksen Søreide demands that the Norwegian authorities must control absolutely all Russian vessels that dock along the coast. – It is a prerequisite for this special Norwegian exemption from the port ban to work. Then it must be assessed on an ongoing basis whether joint fisheries management with Russia is a weighty enough consideration, when we see what activities the Russians are likely to carry out. Want to close the ports Guri Melby (V) believes that all Norwegian ports should be closed to Russian fishing vessels. She believes the government must be as active as when 15 Russian diplomats were declared unwanted in Norway last week. – Norway has had open ports unlike the rest of Europe. It will be both an important and concrete measure to gain better control, but also an important symbolic act to show Russia that we understand what they are doing and that we are not naive. Guri Melby in the Liberal Party. Photo: William Jobling / news Tybring-Gjedde in Frp wants more information before he wants to say whether the three Norwegian ports should be closed or not. – This has primarily had to do with the fisheries agreement with Russia. Seen in isolation, it has seemed very sensible, because both countries are very dependent on that agreement. But if it is misused, we have to look at whether it is appropriate for us to continue. The journalists are given a list of suspected Russian spies. Why is there a military radio on a Russian trawler? What happened to the Svalbard cable?
ttn-69
Politicians about the shadow war documentary about Russian fishing vessels – news Troms and Finnmark
