Russian captains demand Russian presence
Several Russian boat captains and ship owners in Murmansk have sent a joint letter to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, asking him to secure Russian presence around Svalbard.
On May 20th the Russian patrol vessel Mikula was kicked of the port of Barentsburg by Norwegian authorities. This week Russian captains and ship owners of vessels operating in the high north sent a letter to Russian PM Vladimir Putin, asking him to maintain regular monitoring of the Spitsbergen area. Not only to keep control of the area, but also to increase Russian authority around the archipelago, writes Norwegian Newspaper Fiskeribladet.
