The Nord-Troms District Court on August 31 granted the arrest request filed by the Naftogaz of Ukraine group of companies. The ruling has taken effect, meaning the Professor Molchanov can no longer leave the port of Barentsburg on the Svalbard archipelago, according to a statement on the website of the archipelago's governor.
Naftogaz's press service said the arrest is intended to secure enforcement of an arbitration ruling ordering Russia to pay approximately $4.22 billion, plus interest and costs, over the group's assets seized in annexed Crimea. Svalbard police operations chief Håkon Finstad confirmed the arrest in a conversation with the Aftenposten newspaper.
Naftogaz initiated arbitration proceedings against Russia in 2016. In April 2023, a tribunal in The Hague ruled that Russia must compensate the company, but Moscow has not paid. The company said it is pursuing enforcement measures in several other countries, including the United States, France, Britain and Finland.
The vessel will remain in Barentsburg until the governor or the Nord-Troms District Court decides otherwise. The governor of Svalbard is obliged to take measures to prevent the vessel from moving. The governor and the Russian coal-mining company Arktikugol will look after the crew and passengers, the statement said.