Norwegian authorities have arrested the Russian ship “Professor Molchanov” in Port Barentsburg on Svalbard over a $4.22 billion debt to “Naftogaz”.
This was reported by the press service of “Naftogaz”.
The arrest decision was made on August 31 by the district court of the Nur-Trums and Senja region, and now the ship cannot leave its location. It belongs to Russia and is used for commercial expedition cruises, in particular to Svalbard.
This $4.22 billion is what Russia must pay for assets illegally seized from Naftogaz and other companies in the temporarily occupied Crimea. Russia must also pay interest and legal costs. The issue of passengers on board the ship is currently being resolved by the Norwegian authorities.
- In December 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained and arrested a dry cargo ship that worked for Russiaʼs shadow fleet and illegally exported Ukrainian agricultural products from occupied Crimea.
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