Norway seizes Russian vessel to enforce $US4.22B Ukrainian arbitration claim
The seizure of the Russian vessel is part of a global effort to enforce a $5.9b arbitration award.
Norwegian authorities seized a Russian vessel in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard on Wednesday at the request of Ukraine’s Naftogaz as part of a global effort to enforce a $US4.22 billion ($5.9b) arbitration award.
Naftogaz is trying to recover the multibillion-dollar arbitration award stemming from Russia’s 2014 illegal annexation of Crimea and its seizure of Ukrainian energy assets, including gas fields and pipelines.
In 2023, an arbitration tribunal in The Hague ordered Russia to pay the $US4.22 billion to the Ukrainian state-owned energy company for unlawfully seizing its assets in Crimea.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.After Russia’s refusal to pay the award, Naftogaz has been petitioning national courts seeking court orders to seize Russian commercial assets.
“This is another important step towards restoring justice for Russia’s unlawful seizure of Naftogaz assets in Crimea. Russia cannot evade responsibility simply by refusing to comply with an international arbitral award. We will continue to pursue Russian assets around the world,” said Naftogaz CEO Sergii Fedorenko.
Norway’s seizure of the Russian vessel, the Professor Molchanov, comes after a Nord-Troms district court order issued August 31, Svalbard Governor Lars Fause said in a statement.
Following the seizure, the vessel is not allowed to leave its current location in Barentsburg on Svalbard, the governor said.
The Russian vessel is used for commercial expedition cruises, including to Svalbard.
The seizure comes at a time of rising tensions between several European nations and the Kremlin, and just a day after Germany officially laid the blame with Moscow for an explosive-laden drone which was found near cargo planes at Leipzig/Halle Airport in early August.
Germany subsequently announced the closure of both the Russian Consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural centre in the German capital.
Russia responded on Thursday with plans to shutter German cultural centres across the country, according to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Moscow has been widely accused by Western officials of running a campaign of sabotage and disruption with the aim of undermining support for Ukraine and destabilizing European nations, something Russian officials deny.
