Views: 8
On September 12th, a small Norwegian fishing boat, the Ragnhild Kristine, confronted a Russian warship conducting live-fire exercises in the Barents Sea. The fishermen, focused on securing their catch, found themselves at odds with one of the Northern Fleet’s largest destroyers, the Admiral Levchenko, as it prepared for strategic drills.
As the crew of five prepared to pull up their longlines, chief mate Øystein Orten received a warning over the radio: “This is Russian warship, you need to leave the area.” The incident occurred in the maritime border area north of the Varanger Peninsula, within the Norwegian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), where Russia’s Northern Fleet had pre-announced live-fire exercises as part of the large-scale Ocean-2024 drills.
Orten, undeterred by the warning, responded, “It was out of question for us to move. We had longlines to take onboard.” The fishermen remained in place, unaware of just how close they were to a potentially dangerous situation.
Realizing the escalating situation, Orten and his crew finally decided to sail westward, with the Russian destroyer following them until they were safely out of the danger zone. Shortly after, the Norwegian Coast Guard arrived, making contact with the Russian warship over the radio.
While the Coast Guard confirmed a conversation took place between the fishing boat and the Russian navy, they did not verify the warning shot. “We had a Coast Guard vessel in the area and we know there was a conversation between the Russian navy and the fishing boat,” said lieutenant colonel Vegard Finberg, head of communication at the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, in a phone interview with the Barents Observer. “There are, however, no observations from our side that can confirm any warning shot, though the fishermen may have experienced the situation differently.”
For Orten and his crew, the encounter reflects growing frustrations among Norwegian fishermen over Russia’s military activities in the Barents Sea. “Norwegian authorities must put pressure on Russia so that they stop sabotaging Norwegian fisheries and shipping,” Orten said. He added that Russia should relocate its firing ranges further north and east, away from Norway’s fishing areas.
DEFENCE NEWS