Suddenly, a striking number of drones are buzzing around Norway. Recently, several Russians have been arrested for illegally shooting their drones.
Norway has replaced Russia as Western Europe’s largest gas supplier since energy imports from Russia were scaled back in the wake of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Now Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin (70) is trying to keep an eye on Norway’s oil and gas plants.
Russians are not allowed to fly unmanned aircraft due to sanctions in Norway. That includes drones. Violations are punishable by up to three years in prison. Now the authorities in Norway have caught another Russian. But not just anyone, but the son of the former Russian railway chief and Putin confidant Vladimir Yakunin (74).
“Unacceptable that secret services fly drones”
Andrej Jakunin was arrested Monday at Hammerfest in northern Norway, police said. The Russo-British national admitted to illegally flying a drone over Norway’s Arctic archipelago Spitsbergen, a police official said.
Yakunin is in custody, drones and other electronic devices have been seized, it said. It is the seventh arrest of a Russian citizen within days.
In connection with further drone flights near Norwegian airports, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Störe (62) told NRK broadcaster on Wednesday: “It is unacceptable for foreign secret services to fly drones over Norwegian airports.” The Russians have no right to fly drones over Norway, he added.
security measures increased
A few hours earlier, a drone flight at Bergen airport in the west of the country caused a brief disruption to air traffic.
In Norway, drones have been repeatedly sighted in energy infrastructure, including on offshore oil and gas platforms. These reports and the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea have prompted the country to step up its security measures.
Svalbard is located a thousand kilometers from the North Pole and is Norwegian territory. Since Russia also mines coal on the archipelago, it is home to a relatively large Russian community. (jmh/AFP)