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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Terje Solsvik

Norway seizes Russian ship in the Arctic as part of $4.2 billion claim by Ukrainian energy firm

A skier with his rifle on his back makes his way on accross the snow-covered landscape with sun-kissed Hiorthfjellet mountain in the background on February 18, 2026 at Longyearbyen on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard - (AFP/Getty)

Norwegian authorities have detained a Russian ship in the Arctic to enforce a $4.22 billion compensation award won by Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz over Moscow's confiscation of its assets during the 2014 Crimea annexation, officials confirmed late on Wednesday.

The vessel, the Professor Molchanov, was intercepted off the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard following a 24-hour standoff with the Norwegian Coast Guard, according to US law firm Covington, which represents Naftogaz.

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