Norwegian authorities seized the Russian state-owned expedition ship PROFESSOR MOLCHANOV, registered under number 8010348, on September 2, 2026, in the port of Barentsburg, Svalbard, following a court verdict awarding damages related to the 2014 Crimean occupation. The seizure was requested by the Ukrainian company Naftogaz. The action occurs in a geopolitically sensitive area due to Svalbard's unique legal status and historical neutrality, complicating enforcement potential. Concurrently, a suspected Russian navy-affiliated small tanker, MELITO CARRIER (IMO 8920581), previously idle off Tromsø, Norway, started moving towards Svalbard around midnight on September 3, 2026, possibly indicating fleet movements. Associated with MELITO CARRIER were two vessels suspected as Russian spy trawlers, LIRA and ESTER, corroborated by a media investigation earlier in 2026. Norwegian Police Security Service officials noted the role of such civilian vessels as military support assets.

Norwegian authorities seized the Russian state-owned expedition ship PROFESSOR MOLCHANOV, registered under number 8010348, on September 2, 2026, in the port of Barentsburg, Svalbard, following a court verdict awarding damages related to the 2014 Crimean occupation. The seizure was requested by the Ukrainian company Naftogaz. The action occurs in a geopolitically sensitive area due to Svalbard's unique legal status and historical neutrality, complicating enforcement potential. Concurrently, a suspected Russian navy-affiliated small tanker, MELITO CARRIER (IMO 8920581), previously idle off Tromsø, Norway, started moving towards Svalbard around midnight on September 3, 2026, possibly indicating fleet movements. Associated with MELITO CARRIER were two vessels suspected as Russian spy trawlers, LIRA and ESTER, corroborated by a media investigation earlier in 2026. Norwegian Police Security Service officials noted the role of such civilian vessels as military support assets.