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Thomas Nilsen

Thomas worked for the Norwegian Barents Secretariat between 2003 and 2015. Between 2009 and 2015 he was the editor of BarentsObserver. Before that he worked 12 years for the Bellona Foundation’s Russian study group, focusing on nuclear safety issues and general environmental challenges in northern areas and the Arctic.

Thomas has been travelling extensively in the Barents Region and northern Russia since the late 80’s working for different media and organizations. He is also a guide at sea and in remote locations in the Russian north for various groups and regularly lectures on security issues and socio-economic development in the Barents Region. Thomas Nilsen studied at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Content by Thomas Nilsen

Look to Norway for good eco-standards, or?

“Ship-to-ship reloading of oil in icy-waters outside Kirkenes is a great example that Norway jeopardizes nature by lowering safety standards in our race for industrialization of the north,” says Lars Haltbrekken, head of the Norwegian Society for the conservation of Nature.

February 05, 2015

Russia to give indigenous peoples priority in Barents chairmanship

“We are in dialogue, not confrontation,” says Aleksandr Zelenov from the Foreign Ministry in Moscow. A regional indigenous peoples summit are in pipe.

February 05, 2015

Norway will host high visibility NATO exercise

In 2018, 25.000 soldiers will take part in a scenario with focus on demonstrating deterrence and defense of NATO’s northernmost areas.

February 04, 2015

Traffic over Norwegian-Russian border drops by one third

Checkpoint queues are shorter as the value of the ruble dives and makes it more expensive for people from Murmansk to visit Norway. The other way; more Norwegians visit Russia.

February 04, 2015

Tuomioja eyes defense alliance with Sweden

Erkki Tuomioja, likely the only Foreign Minister in Europe with a peace symbol button on his blazer, says defense cooperation with Sweden will come step-by-step.

February 03, 2015

Carl Bildt and Børge Brende in borderland to discuss Russia

EU leaders will decide whether to move ahead on more restrictive measures against Russia at a mid-March Summit. Meanwhile, Bildt and Brende will speak at the Kirkenes conference about relations with Russia.

February 03, 2015

Russia’s Defense Ministry denies nuke onboard Tu-95

The Russian long-ranger bomber flying around the coast of Norway towards the English Channel did not have any nuclear weapons onboard, reports RIA Novosti.

February 02, 2015

Millions more to Barents cooperation

Norwegian government increased the funding to the bilateral people-to-people cooperation with Russia by another NOK 18 million for the next 3-years period. Pia Svensgaard, head of the Norwegian Barents secretariat signs NOK 140 million deal with the Foreign Ministry.

February 02, 2015

Russian bomber intercepted by Norwegian F-16s carried nuclear warhead

A Norwegian military listening post intercepted cockpit conversations revealing that one of the Tu-95 flying around the coast of Norway last Wednesday had a nuclear payload onboard. Two F-16s were scrambled from Bodø airbase and met the Russian planes outside Finnmark.

February 01, 2015

Ready for take-off, but ruble fall creates turbulence for Barents route

Permission is finally granted to reopen the only cross-border flight from Northern Russia to Tromsø in Norway. The airliner operating the route, however, needs economic support before boarding calls can be announced.

January 30, 2015