Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on Wednesday accused “foreign intelligence agencies” of being behind a series of “unacceptable” drone flights in the country, indirectly pointing the finger at Russia.
Earlier on Wednesday, Norwegian police announced the arrest of a Russian man – the son of one of President Vladimir Putin’s close associates – who accused him of illegally flying a drone in the Svalbard archipelago in the geopolitically strategic Arctic region.
He was the seventh Russian arrested in the past few days and suspected of illegally flying drones or taking photos in restricted areas in the Scandinavian country, which borders Russia in the far north.
“It is obviously unacceptable for foreign intelligence services to fly drones over Norwegian airports,” Store told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.
His comments came just hours after a drone was spotted near the airport in Bergen, Norway’s second largest city, briefly grounding its flights.
Norway, along with several other Western nations, has banned Russians and Russian units from overflying its territory, whether by drone or plane, following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Violating this ban carries a three-year prison sentence, while unauthorized photography carries a one-year prison sentence.
– High Alert –
Several mysterious drone flights have been observed in Norway in recent weeks.
Along with the alleged sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea, the observations have prompted Oslo to step up security around strategic infrastructure, particularly its offshore oil and gas platforms.
The youngest Russian arrested in Norway has been identified as Andrei Yakunin, the son of former Russian Railways chief Vladimir Yakunin, who is believed to be close to Putin.
Andrei Yakunin, 47, of British and Russian nationality, was arrested in Hammerfest in northern Norway on Monday, according to police and court records.
“The suspect admitted to flying a drone on Spitsbergen,” said police officer Anja Mikkelsen.
Located approximately 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the North Pole, the Svalbard Archipelago is a Norwegian territory strategically located in the heart of the Arctic.
It is home to a relatively large Russian community, and its special legal status allows foreigners to mine some of its natural resources.
Yakunin was held in custody for two weeks and drones and electronic devices in his possession were confiscated, police said.
On Monday, the Russian embassy in Oslo said “hysteria” in Norway was affecting “ordinary tourists” and called the ban on Russians flying drones “unjustified and discriminatory”.
