Norebo owner Vitaly Orlov has launched a lawsuit against the Barents Observer, a small nonprofit news organization comprised of just six people, over its coverage of E.U. sanctions on the company.
The publication, which put out a public response titled “Russian billionaire Vitaly Orlov’s lawsuit against the Barents Observer is absurd and dirty,” said Orlov claims he is suffering “serious harm to his reputation” because of the stories the Barents Observer published on the sanctions over a period spanning May 2025 through January 2026. Those stories all addressed E.U. sanctions launched against Norebo – a major fishing company in Russia.
Norebo – along with Russian fishing company Murman Seafood Company – was banned from E.U. and Norwegian markets over claims of espionage. The E.U. was the first to ban the companies, and accused both vessels of carrying equipment that could be used for espionage against the bloc. Norway later followed with its own sanctions, citing the E.U.
Those sanctions all followed the Netherlands refusing access to Russian fishing vessels in 2024 in response to an investigation by Pointer claiming there was strong evidence Russian fishing vessels were being used by the country to commit espionage in a range of foreign ports. The investigation claimed Norebo vessels were involved, and said the company frequently docked fishing vessels near areas where military shipments were taking place.
Norebo has denied the accusations, and said it is a non-political company focusing purely on seafood.
“It is the management's concern to stress out, for the umpteenth time, that the accusations brought are false. There is no evidence that can be delivered by the E.U. Authorities to ever substantiate their incorrect claims,” Norebo said in a statement soon after the sanctions were enacted. “It is, therefore, sad to see what ought to be the rule of law and fact degrade into mere biased politics.”
Now, Orlov is suing just the Barents Observer over its coverage of the sanctions – despite the small organization having nothing to do with the original accusations.
“It is, of course, not the Barents Observer that has found a link between Norebo and Russian intelligence. We have only referred to the E.U. Council and its sanctions list,” the publication said in its editorial response. “The Barents Observer’s coverage of Norebo and the international sanctions is fully in line with normal reporting and internationally recognized journalism codes of ethics. All five articles in question are based on solid references to sources, including Norebo’s own press releases.”
The paper claims Orlov “does not like the Barets Observer shedding light on his company and its activities.”
“What Vitaly Orlov’s lawsuit boils down to is that the richest man in the Russian fishery industry does not like the Barents Observer,” the publication states. “Orlov is specifically targeting our newspaper. He could have gone after the Norwegian broadcaster NRK, the newspapers DN and Fiskeribladet, or any of the many other media companies that have covered Norebo’s activities and its inclusion in the international sanctions lists. But the Russian billionaire chose to set his London-based lawyers on the Barents Observer.”
In the paper’s response to claims, given to the High Court of Justice, the publication said it is “difficult to understand” why the case has been filed in England, as it is a Norwegian publication related to Norwegian matters, published in Norwegian. It also said the article was entirely based on the official, published actions of Norway and the E.U.
“Blaming the Barents Observer for causing ‘serious harm’ to Vitaly Orlov’s reputation makes us think of the phrase ‘don’t shoot the piano player,’ the official response states. “The responsibility for the consequences of sanctions imposed on his fleet of trawlers by the European Union and Norway cannot reasonably be placed on journalists for reporting on those sanctions.”
