Norwegian fishermen have claimed that a Russian warship fired a warning shot in their proximity along the Norway-Russia border in the Arctic Ocean.
With escalations on the ground in Ukraine, the episode raised concerns amid tensions between Moscow and NATO interests on Europe’s borders.
The incident occurred on September 12, while a Russian Udaloy class destroyer was taking part in a large-scale exercise, Okean 24, but was reported days later by the Norwegian news FriFagbevegelse.
As the fishermen reported, the Russian destroyer advanced towards the vessel, stopping around 200 meters (656 feet) away, sounding its horn for 15 seconds before firing a warning shot into the water.
The warship had ordered the fishermen’s crew to leave the area because of live military exercises. The fishermen refused, explaining they had long fishing lines in the water they had to bring onboard first.
The Norwegian Coast Guard confirmed that the boat and the Russian destroyer had rmade radio contact before the incident, but local authorities couldn’t verify whether warning shots were fired.
Geopolitical Importance
Among the six NATO countries bordering Russia, Norway shares the smallest border, with 195.7 kilometers (121.6 miles) of land and 945 nautical miles (1,087 miles/1,750 kilometers) of sea.
However, these waters are of international strategic importance.
Exercises similar to Okean 24 are frequent in Arctic international waters, with Norwegian military authorities closely monitoring operations.
In May 2023, as part of Exercise Formidable Shield, 4,000 personnel from 13 NATO countries participated in a weeks-long exercise with 20 ships and 35 aircraft in the Arctic.
At the same time, the region hosts Russia’s Northern Fleet.
The fleet includes several anti-submarine warfare destroyers like the Admiral Levchenko, equipped with 100mm and 30mm guns for close defense, anti-submarine and short-range surface-to-air missiles, as well as torpedoes.
On September 20, Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, stated that “We see NATO stepping up drills related to possible crises in the Arctic.”
He added that Moscow is “ready to defend its interests militarily, politically and from the standpoint of defense technologies.”