'Spy Mania': Moscow Slams Norway's Arrest of Researcher as 'Politically Motivated'

Relations between Oslo and Moscow, though friendly and mutually beneficial since end of the Second World War, have soured recently years amid the build-up of NATO and reciprocal spying accusations. A new low was reached when Norway joined the western sanctions bandwagon over Russia's special operation in Ukraine, wiping out decades of cooperation.

The arrest of a Brazilian university researcher in northern Norway on suspicion of being a Russian spy has triggered a fierce rebuke from the Russian embassy.

The Nordic country's Police Security Service (PST) said it was worried that the man, who has been studying irregular warfare methods such as cyber attacks at the Arctic University of Norway in the city of Tromsø, may have assembled a network of information about Norway’s policy in the far north, which could be “misused by Russia”. It also argued that the researcher may be “the first Russian spy operating under deep cover” to be identified. It added that it wanted the researcher - who at present is in custody - to be expelled because he represented “a threat to fundamental national interests”.

Lawyer Thomas Hansen said the man in question had been arrested on his way to work and remanded in custody for four weeks by a court in Tromsø while his case was considered. He said his client denied the accusations, opposed his detention and rejected the intelligence services’ reasons for it.

The Russian embassy said that it was “unaware of it and what this is about”.

“Generally speaking, spy mania has been actively promoted in Norway recently. It is being mentioned in the context of Russian fishing vessels, Russian research ships, drone flights, photography and the like. It applies to completely different matters, but they have a common motif: everything Russian — be it its public agencies, private companies or individuals — is suspicious and smacks of espionage. The fact that different issues come up as if on a conveyor belt is no doubt no accident. All this is politically motivated,” the embassy told Norwegian media.

In recent weeks, concerns about alleged Russian meddling have been voiced by Norway's authorities, while the country's media magnify and revel in the hypothetical threat that may be posed by Russian fishing and research vessels. Meanwhile, intelligence services are investigating a number of drone sightings near the country's critical oil and gas infrastructure since the summer. Over the past few weeks, several Russians were arrested for flying drones or taking pictures, but were released from custody.

Relations between Norway and Russia, though friendly and mutually beneficial since the end of the Second World War, have soured recently as NATO has flourished in the north and accusations of spying have been hurled on both sides. A new low point was reached when Norway joined the western sanctions against Russia for its special operation in Ukraine, in effect jettisoning decades of successful cooperation.

Norway also eagerly armed Ukraine and funneled millions of dollars to Kiev as budget support, while its military instructors trained Ukrainian forces.

Furthermore it supplanted Russia as the EU's biggest energy supplier, drawing accusations of profiteering from fellow European nations, such as Poland, which urged Oslo to slash export prices.