Norway seized a Russian vessel in the Arctic Sea to enforce a court order requiring Russia to pay compensation to the Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz over Russia's seizure of their assets in Crimea.
Norway seized the vessel on Wednesday (2 Sep 2026) after Moscow failed to pay $4.22 billion plus interest and legal costs to Ukraine's Naftogaz to compensate for assets in Crimea that Russia occupied, following a 2023 Hague arbitration ruling.
Naftogaz stated in a post on X that this ship seizure is “part of a global effort to enforce the arbitration court’s ruling concerning the illegal seizure of their assets in Crimea after Russia unilaterally annexed the territory in 2014.”
The U.S. law firm Covington, representing Naftogaz, revealed that the vessel "Professor Molchanov" was seized off the coast of Norway's Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic after a 24-hour standoff with Norwegian coast guard units.
Russian news agency TASS reported, citing a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, who called Norway's actions an act of “piracy.”
Alexey Chekunov, Russia’s Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, said the seizure of the Professor Molchanov exemplifies Western disregard for lawlessness, and Moscow will appeal the decision.
Naftogaz has been pursuing legal action against Russia since 2016 to seek compensation for the seizure of its assets in Crimea.
“Russia cannot avoid responsibility simply by refusing to comply with the international arbitration court's ruling,” said Serhiy Fedorenko, acting CEO of Naftogaz.
“We will continue to pursue the seizure of Russian assets worldwide until compensation is fully paid to Naftogaz and its affiliated companies.”
Follow international news:https://www.thairath.co.th/news/foreign
Source:aljazeera