During a meeting in Barentsburg, Andrey Chemerilo, the Consul General of Russia, spoke about the status of visits to a Soviet war memorial on Hope Island. He noted that Norway is not permitting Russian diplomats to visit the monument together, framing the issue as a barrier to joint commemoration of wartime sacrifices.
Chemerilo described the events held in Barentsburg to mark the 78th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. A motor vehicle parade and a wreath-laying ceremony took place at the war memorial on Nadezhda Island, located about 350 kilometers from Barentsburg, underscoring the ongoing symbolic ties and memory exchanges connected to World War II.
The Consul General stated that the Norwegian side rejected the Russian request for a joint visit to Hope Island, a decision he framed as limiting a bilateral act of remembrance. He added that at present the Russian Consulate General cannot visit the island on its own, indicating procedural or diplomatic obstacles that complicate the ability to observe the memorial site in person.
Earlier, Norway’s foreign ministry announced that 15 staff members from the Russian embassy had been declared persona non grata. The ministry emphasized Norway’s intent to sustain normal diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation and reaffirmed that Russia’s diplomatic mission would continue to operate in the country, while asserting that diplomatic facilities should not be used for covert intelligence activities. The statement signaled a clear stance on keeping official channels functional, yet it also highlighted heightened tensions between the two governments. [Source: Norwegian Foreign Ministry]
In response to these developments, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned of potential retaliatory measures in response to what it termed hostile acts, signaling a cycle of reciprocal actions that could affect broader diplomatic interaction in the Barents region. [Source: Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs]