Norway seizes russian vessel to enforce $4.22 billion Ukrainian arbitration claim (video)

09/03/2026

Norwegian authorities seized a Russian vessel in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard on Wednesday at the request of Ukraine’s Naftogaz as part of efforts to enforce a 4.22 billion US dollar arbitration award against Russia. According to Associated Press naftogaz is seeking to recover the award stemming from Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and seizure of Ukrainian energy assets including gas fields and pipelines. In 2023, an arbitration tribunal in The Hague ordered Russia to pay 4.22 billion US dollars to the Ukrainian state-owned energy company for unlawfully seizing its assets in Crimea. Russia has refused to pay the award, prompting Naftogaz to petition courts in various countries for orders to seize Russian commercial assets. 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.