Russia casts chill in Arctic town
COAL MINE: ANGER ‘IS SIMMERING UNDER THE SURFACE’
About 45 people have left Barentsburg ‘since start of operation’.
War may be far away but tensions from the Ukraine conflict are causing an unprecedented chill in a remote Arctic town where Russian and Ukrainian coalminers have worked side by side for decades.
In Barentsburg, in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, relics of a bygone era – a bust of Lenin, a sculpture with Cyrillic script declaring “Our goal – Communism” – bear witness to Russia’s longstanding presence.
The town’s population peaked at around 1 500 in the 1980s, but shrank after the Soviet Union collapsed. Now, about 370 people live here, two-thirds of them Ukrainians – most from the Russian-speaking eastern Donbas region – and the remainder Russians.
The atmosphere on the archipelago changed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February, said officials and residents.
“Opinions are absolutely polarised,” admitted Russian tour guide and historian Natalia Maksimishina.
But, she said, “what our long and difficult history of the Soviet Union has taught us is that people here know when to stop talking politics”.
Some Ukrainians accuse the Russian state-owned company, Arktikugol Trust, operating the coal mine in Barentsburg of muzzling dissent.
But Russia’s consul Sergey Guschin said there were “no visible signs of conflict on the surface”, although he admitted “there are of course some tensions and discussions on social networks” like Facebook and Telegram.
The consulate is protected by high iron bars and security cameras and lavishly decorated with a marble entrance, winter garden and custom-made tapestries.
Its splendour stands out in the otherwise drab town.
In what could be another sign that anger is simmering under the surface, about 45 people have left Barentsburg “since the start of the operation”, acknowledged Guschin, using Moscow’s terminology for the Ukraine invasion.
There were no further details about the individuals.
The departures speak volumes, as leaving Barentsburg is no easy feat.
Western sanctions imposed on Russian banks have not only prevented the miners from sending money home to their families, they’ve also made it difficult for them to buy plane tickets.
The only airport is in Longyearbyen, Svalbard’s main town 35km away, where it is difficult to get by without a Visa or Mastercard, which Russians cannot use because of sanctions.
At the entrance to Barentsburg, the coal plant spews out black smoke, adding to the town’s dreary atmosphere.
A 1920 treaty which gave Norway sovereignty over Svalbard guarantees citizens from signatory nations equal access to its natural resources.
Russia’s Arktikugol Trust has operated the mine in Barentsburg, on the shores of the Isfjorden fjord, since 1932.