Russian Geographical Society opens office on Svalbard

Key representatives of the local Russian establishment were present as the Russian Geographical Society opened its new office in Barentsburg on October 24.

According to Vice President Artyem Manukyan, it is part of the Society's efforts to strengthen its presence in the Arctic.

"It marks a new stage in our work in the high latitudes of the Arctic," he emphasised in an address.

"In the 21st century, when the Arctic is often an arena for geopolitical rivalry, we are creating a space for open dialogue between the residents and visitors of Svalbard, representatives of different countries, the scientific community and the general public," he added.

The centre is reported to work with activities related to science, education and communications.

Barentsburg is a Russian settlement on the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. It is run by the Russian state company Arktikugol and is subject to Norwegian legislation as part of the Svalbard Treaty.

The person appointed to head the new office of the Russian Geographical Society is Darya Slyunyaeva, who until recently worked for Arktikugol. She is known as the woman behind the social media page 'Spitsgirl' and has actively participated in international projects, including the Arctic Youth Network. As late as in February 2024, she published a text on the network's website, where she dwelled on the history of Svalbard. 

"The history of the archipelago is full of controversies and blank spots," she concludes in the article.

Darya Slyunyaeva graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry and has published several academic articles about Svalbard. In a piece published in 2023, she emphasises that "Spitsbergen plays an important role in the strengthening of Russia's positions in the Arctic region" and complains that her country "currently faces a number of restrictions on its presence" in the archipelago.

"The problem with Svalbard at present boils down to Norway seeking to establish its full and absolute sovereignty over the archipelago by introducing a series of restrictive measures and avoiding discussion with other signatories of the problems arising in this connection. In light of the changing world order, Norway may initiate a complete revision or even abolition of the 1920 Spitsbergen Treaty, […] In this regard, Russia seeks to strengthen its presence in the archipelago through both political and economic means," she writes.

The Barents Observer has reached out to Slyunyaeva for a comment to this article. We asked her about her main responsibilities in the new job, as well as about the Russian Geographical Society's priorities in Svalbard and the Norwegian restrictions she mentioned. At the time of publishing this article, she had not responded.

Also at last week's opening ceremony in Barentsburg were Russia's local General Consul, Andrei Chemerilo, as well as head of Arktikugol Ildar Neverov.

According to General Consul Chemerilo, the creation of an interactive map of Russian historical presence at the archipelago will be among the centre's first priorities. The establishment of the centre has been under discussion for the past three years, he said.

The opening ceremony took place only one day after the Geographical Society held a historical congress in Moscow. Vladimir Putin opened the event and highlighted that the Arctic, along with occupied parts of Ukraine, is now among the Society's main focus areas.

The congress adopted a new charter and re-elected former defence minister Sergei Shoigu president of the society.

Since its establishment in 1845, the Geographical Society has been a tool used in the expansionist drive of the empire. It actively propagates patriotism and the Kremlin’s world views among young Russians.