ARCTIC HARASSMENT ⟩ Russian State Company Hoists Soviet Union Flag in Svalbard, Norway

Soviet flag on NATO's soil -- Svalbard, Norway. Photo: vkontakte.ru

2nd July 2024, 23:11

In recent weeks, the Russian state company Arktikugol has been flying the Soviet Union flag over the towns of Pyramiden and Barentsburg in the Svalbard archipelago.

According to The Barents Observer, at least three large Soviet flags were spotted in Svalbard last week – one in Barentsburg and two in Pyramiden.

Arktikugol's general director, Ildar Neverov, raised the hammer-and-sickle flag over the ghost town of Pyramiden after climbing a mountain next to the town. The company noted on its VKontakte account that the climb took Neverov four hours, accompanied by Arktikugol employees and visiting tourists. "The tradition is restored and lives on!" Neverov exclaimed.

A second Soviet flag was placed on a massive loading crane near Pyramiden. Previously, both the Norwegian and Russian flags were displayed there, but the Norwegian flag has now been replaced with the Soviet one. In Barentsburg, the red flag flies atop a loading crane in the harbor.

Cottage of a resident of Svalbard, Norway. Photo: Jonathan Näckstrand/AFP/Scanpix

Soviet Revanchism on NATO's Soil

Additionally, the Soviet-era slogan "Миру-мир!" ("Peace to the World!") has been refreshed. In Pyramiden, it was repainted with a fresh coat of white, while in Barentsburg, it was painted red.

According to Kari Aga Myklebost, a professor at the University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway, the use of Soviet symbols serves two purposes for Moscow. "The use of Soviet symbols in Barentsburg and Pyramiden is framed as a key part of Arktikugol’s tourism development, but it also serves to strengthen Russia’s presence in Svalbard and evoke ideas of Soviet grandeur and historical revanchism," Myklebost told The Barents Observer.

"We must consider that Svalbard, from the Kremlin’s perspective, is a strategically placed Arctic outpost, and Russia’s self-image as a great power in global politics heavily relies on its Arctic territories. Therefore, the display of Soviet symbols in the Arctic holds significant weight, fueling ideas of Russian might," the professor added.

(FILES) In this file photo taken on May 07, 2022 a sign in Russian reading 'our goal is communism' is pictured in front of a building with Russian flags flapping in the blizzard, in the miners' town of Barentsburg, on the Svalbard Archipelago, northern Norway. Photo: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND

Another Episode in a Longer Campaign

This is not the first time Arktikugol has stirred tensions in Svalbard with the use of flags. Last year, the state company displayed the flag of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic during a May 9 parade in Pyramiden.

Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean under Norwegian sovereignty, approximately the size of Latvia. The Svalbard Treaty of 1920 grants certain unique rights and regulations to the archipelago, different from mainland Norway. The treaty, signed by 14 parties including the United States, Australia, several European countries, and Russia, allows the signatories' companies to engage in commercial activities on the islands.

Svalbard is not part of the Schengen visa area or the European Economic Area. Currently, Norway and Russia, which have operated coal mines there since 1930, utilize this opportunity. About 400 Russians reside on the islands permanently.

The Svalbard Treaty stipulates that the archipelago should not be used for military purposes, although it does not require demilitarization. Norway has refrained from deploying its armed forces there.

Lavrov's Indicent Proposal

Tensions escalated in 2020 when Russia began tightening its grip. On the treaty's centennial, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Moscow’s desire to enter negotiations with Oslo to review the governance of Svalbard. After Norway refused, it faced a wave of Russian information attacks, warning of serious consequences.

In 2021, 4.3 kilometers of undersea cable connecting Svalbard to mainland Norway disappeared off the Norwegian coast. The culprits remain unidentified.

In 2023, a giant Russian Orthodox cross was erected in Pyramiden without Norwegian authorities’ approval.

In early 2024, Russia’s Minister for Arctic and Far Eastern Affairs hosted veterans who fought in the occupied territories of Ukraine, stating that their experience might be needed to protect Russian interests in the Arctic.

A mural showing Hitler, Putin and Stalin 'No more time' created by graffiti artist Tuse, is sprayed on a wall n Gdansk, northern Poland Photo: Adam Warzawa

Stalinist Roots of Arctic Russia

According to Mikhaylo Gonchar of the Ukrainian think tank "XXI Century" Russia's increased military presence in the Arctic has been rooted in Joseph Stalin's strategic assessment from 1933. During a visit to the Kola Peninsula, the Soviet leader remarked, "What is the Black Sea? A basin. What is the Baltic Sea? A bottle. But we have no cork. Here (in the Arctic North – ed.), we have a window. A great fleet must come here. From here, we can seriously threaten both England and America if needed. We have no other suitable places."

This strategy places significant importance on the Svalbard archipelago, which is part of Norway. Whoever controls Svalbard controls access to and from the Arctic via the North Atlantic. Positioning long-range missiles there would enable the targeting of the North Atlantic maritime area between Svalbard and Greenland as well as between Svalbard and the Norwegian coast.

Since 2020, the Kremlin, through statements by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and a series of information attacks, has cast a wary eye on Svalbard. Despite this, the Norwegian elite today still do not consider it feasible to deploy strictly defensive military capabilities to Svalbard. According to one Norwegian security expert, even discussing the matter is off the table.

The 1920 Svalbard Treaty prohibits the establishment of naval bases and fortifications in the archipelago, but it does not ban other forms of defensive military presence.

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