Norway's government has introduced a new set of sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian regime, in line with the European Union’s package of sanctions adopted on 21 July.
“Once again, we are acting in concert with the E.U. to impose sanctions on Russia to maintain pressure on the Russian government and listed members of the Russian elite,” Norway Minister of Foreign Affairs Anniken Huitfeldt said in a release. “These sanctions are a necessary response to Russia’s brutal and unprovoked attack on Ukraine.”
The new sanctions include restrictions on 54 individuals and 10 entities, including Sberbank, which have been added to a list of “natural and legal persons, entities, and bodies subject to restrictive measures.” The new additions expand the list to more than 100 entities and more than 1,200 people.
Norway's sanctions also include restrictions on the purchase or import of gold with Russian origin, prohibits Russian nationals from making financial deposits into Norwegian financial entities, and expands the list of goods and technology that cannot be exported into Russia because “they could contribute to Russia’s military and technological enhancement.”
Existing port access bans to Russian vessels have also been expanded to include the use of Norwegian canals and locks, and export controls have been reinforced on “dual use and advanced technology.”
Despite the expanded sanctions, Russian fishing vessels continue to be exempt from Norwegian sanctions as Norway seeks to continue cooperation on fisheries in the Barents Sea and bilateral partnerships on search and rescue operations. Russian fishing vessels continue to land their catches at ports in Northern Norway and Russian vessels are still being serviced in Norwegian shipyards, according to The Barents Observer.
Ukraine has called on Norway to remove exemptions for Russian fishing vessels taking advantage of their ongoing access to services in Norway, but Norway Minister of Trade and Industry Jan Christian Vestre said the exception was being made to protect Norwegian businesses dependent on the traffic from Russian vessels and to maintain cooperative fisheries management in the region.
Greger Mannsverk, the owner of the Kimek shipyard in Kirkenes, Norway, backed the exemption.
“For Kirkenes, it is of decisive importance that Russian ships can continue to visit Norwegian ports. Otherwise, the local economy will kneel," he said. "We are fully dependent on the Russian fleet and its continued possibility to use Kirkenes as port and base. Without that, everything would be pitch dark."
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