Norwegian intelligence commented on the “invasion” of Russian special forces

Earlier, the Norwegian portal Aldrimer wrote that the Russian military worked out the scenario of an attack on Svalbard

The Norwegian intelligence service, the Armed Forces and the Norwegian Police Security Service deny that Russian special forces invaded Svalbard last week, according to the portal of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK). Representatives of three military departments told the publication that they did not have information that last week there were soldiers from Russia on the territory of the country. Earlier, the local publication Aldrimer wrote that the Russian special forces conducted an attack scenario on Svalbard.

On September 30, Aldrimer information about the Russian “invasion” was also refuted by the Russian embassy in Oslo. Diplomats called the appearance of such information “planting the image of the enemy in the person of Russia” and “a brute provocation”.

“We consider the publication as part of the systematic work being carried out in certain circles in Norway to plant the image of the enemy in the person of Russia”, – the department emphasized.

The September 27 edition of Aldrimer, citing intelligence sources from Norway and other NATO countries, reported that Russian commandos were spotted on the islands of the Svalbard archipelago of Norway, as well as on the mainland. They allegedly where dressed in civilian clothes. According to sources, the fighters conducted reconnaissance of the terrain and important infrastructure.

In accordance with the agreement on Svalbard from 1920, the archipelago belongs to Norway, however, Russia has the right to exploit its natural resources. At the same time, Norway pledged not to create and prevent the deployment of military bases on Svalbard. Article 9 of the treaty states that the territory of the archipelago “should never be used for military purposes”.