SPORTS · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
Russians Return Home as 'Professor Molchanov' Remains Impounded in Norway
WHY IT MATTERS
The impounding of the Professor Molchanov highlights tensions between Russia and Norway, as well as Russia's ongoing dispute with Ukraine over expropriated funds, which may have implications for future Arctic research and trade.
What happened
Sixty-nine Russian citizens who were aboard the Professor Molchanov, a research vessel impounded in Norway, have returned home ahead of schedule. The vessel was seized on September 2 after a court granted a claim filed by Ukraine's Naftogaz, which is seeking to recover funds expropriated by Russia in 2014.
The Russians had originally been scheduled to return home aboard the impounded vessel, but the governor of Svalbard assisted with their return after good cooperation with the Russian consul general and representatives of the Arktikugol trust.
The Professor Molchanov is used for polar and oceanographic studies and was scheduled to make ten voyages between Murmansk and Barentsburg in 2026.
PRIMARY SOURCES
69 Russians return home as ‘Professor Molchanov’ remains impounded in Norway over a claim by Ukraine’s Naftogaz
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