Newsletter: Life on the Border
Svanhovd by the Pasvik river that is also the border to Russia, houses institutions such as the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (Nilu), the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority and Øvre Pasvik National Park / County Governor. (Photo: The garrison in Sør-Varanger / Pasvik Border Company).
Dear reader, welcome back after the Easter holidays! The High North Tour 2021 mobile office has been parked near the Russian border, where Editor-in-Chief Arne O. Holm has had great conversations with both the frontline conscripts, the police, and military officers. In addition, we offer a spectacular long-read story from Svalbard, as well as insights into the relationship between Norway and Russia.
Before the Easter holidays set in, our Editor-in-Chief Arne O. Holm parked his office-on-wheels in Pasvik, on the spot where Norway meets Russia along the Pasvik River. But can you really see the border? What is border cooperation between Norway and Russia like? And what happens if you overstep the boundaries?
Border Commissioner Jens-Arne Høilund can answer that: “The border against Russia both separates and unites us.”
Politimester i Finnmark, Ellen Margrete Hætta, er opptatt av at mest mulig skal være åpent på grensa til Russland. (Foto: Arne O. Holm)
Police Chief in Finnmark District Ellen Katrine Hætta is in charge of a very special district on the Norwegian-Russian border.
Battalion Chief Lieutenant-Colonel Jan Marius Nilsen of the Sør-Varanger Garrison: The guard on the Norwegian-Russian border has escaped the pandemic.
And Chief of the Pasvik Company Fredrik Hodnefjell: These are the soldiers the USA wants to train with.
They all monitor the border, manage border violations, cooperate with the Russian side and patrol the border line 24-7, 365 days of the year.
And while the rest of the country has been on holidays and taken time off, the toughest soldiers in Finnmark have practiced going through the Pasvik River ice while being fully equipped.
Unique Svalbard story
Now, over to a quite unique story. Our Svalbard reporter Line Nagell Ylvisåker went to the Svea mining community and spent three days with the team dismantling and removing this community, piece by piece.
A year ago, the Svea mine was shut for good. Now, 103 years of mining history are slowly disappearing. The team working on it describes the cleanup work as both rewarding and sentimental.
You can read the full story and enjoy all the images here.
Arctic activities, mining and military
Easter does not mean holidays for all, however, and both Norway as well as the USA monitor Russian activities in the Arctic.
The people in Greenland has spoken, and this week’s elections are clear. The opposition appears to have won and thus, a major mining project is put on hold.
All this and a whole lot more you can read at High North News.
Next week, Editor Holm and his mobile office leave the Russian border and turn towards new, Arctic adventures – stay put!
Kind regards,
Trine Jonassen,
News Editor, High North News