Why Russia is planning to resurrect its ghost town on Norwegian Soil | Foreign Correspondent

Adventurous souls have been attracted to the wild Arctic desert of Svalbard for centuries. MAN: Svalbard is part of Norway. It's the one place in Norway that is truly Arctic. Home to the world-famous seed vault, here, the sun shines 24/7 for months on end before plunging into total darkness. Its jaw-dropping natural beauty is unique and it's in one of the most strategically important places on Earth. I heard a military advisers claiming that if the tension increases in Europe and in the Ukraine war, this area will be the most important area in the world. It's governed by Norway, a member of NATO. But Russia has two tiny outposts. MAN: It's small but it's an intelligence target. They place the Arctic as the number one priority for them. And Svalbard is a part of that. From propaganda and provocation to allegations of sabotage, Russia is pushing the boundaries. Would you describe it as provocative? It feels like provocative, yes. Is it something provocative, I don't think. And Norway is tightening its grip on this strategically significant part of the world. For a long time, the saying up here has been high north, low tension. Not anymore. The war in Ukraine is changing relationships here in the Arctic as trust and cooperation between Russia and its neighbours plummets. Svalbard can be found at the top of the earth, halfway between the Norwegian mainland and the North Pole. The ice is melting fast and the summer boating season is underway. It's easy to see why this is a sought-after tourist destination. They say there are more polar bears than people in Svalbard. Being able to see that walking along the ice edge is just amazing. But this is an extreme place. Where we soon learned that on-water rescue drills are a part of life. I really hope that they never have to pick us up but that was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Svalbard's main community of Longyearbyen, home to about 2,500 people, began as a coal mining settlement and is now a bright spot in a barren land. For decades, Norwegians and Russians have lived side by side on this archipelago. It's a place you move because of nature but you stay here because of the people and the society. But Mayor Terje Aunevik has watched as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has fractured the community. Even during the Cold War, obviously, it was tension even then, but the people-to-people connection has always been open and warm and, um... (CLEARS THROAT) But it has changed dramatically after the war. And we had a long history with both Russian companies and Russian friends. So, so, uh, that's the sad part of it. I think we had such a... Yeah, it was such a great story. (CHUCKLES) I want to go to one of the Russian settlements but there's still too much ice to get there by boat. Our guide, Harry Sarkinen, has been navigating the glaciers and fjords here for more than a decade. Not so much snow, as you see. And we have to find the snow. Don't put your feet here on the ground. You will get this machine on your feet and it's 230 kilos. In worst case, you break your leg. In Svalbard, you're not meant to leave Longyearbyen without polar bear protection. In this case, a bolt action rifle. So what's this for? This is the last resort. If we are in trouble with the polar bear. Only... ..allowed to shoot the polar bear when human life is in danger. Our trip takes us across some stunning Arctic landscapes. It's beautiful. It's barren. Like, I love it. Everything is, like, just amazing. And the whole, uh, archipelago is really unique. After six hours, we reach Pyramiden... ..now a ghost town. This was once a thriving Russian coal mining settlement. Abandoned in the late '90s, it's now an open air museum. Anatoly Sergeev is one of about a dozen people living here right now. This is the northest Soviet town in the world. This is the amazing place. Very calm and, er... ..beautiful. What's this building? This is old canteen. Canteen? Yes. It's beautiful. Back in the day, life for the miners was pretty good. The guys who work in the mine come here and they can sit and eat. All food was free for them. They can pick many portions if they want. Wow. It's a huge kitchen. Yeah. And it possibly has the best view. Yes. And this is the view. I think for this, uh, for these guys who are working here, the life was perfect because the... All the building built for them. They have the swimming pool, the school... ..cinema room, uh, they have many entertainments here that was free for them. A Russian state-owned mining company, Trust Arktikugol, has owned this land for nearly a century. After World War I, the Svalbard Treaty granted Norway sovereignty over the archipelago, but allowed other nations, including Russia, the right to do business and live here visa-free. The treaty forbids Svalbard from being used for warlike purposes by any nation. So do you think of this as Russian land? I think this is the small, tiny Russian town with two buildings working. One of those buildings is the hotel, but it's virtually empty. The Russian company's flagged ambitious plans to scale up tourism, with direct flights to Svalbard from the Russian mainland and cruise ships. But that's not all. It's so eerie here. It's hard to believe this was once a town of 2,000 people. And one day, they just left. But Russia does have plans to try and revive those glory days. Russian officials have said they want to open a science centre here. They haven't given much detail but they say they'll invite what they call friendly nations, like China, to be a part of it. The Arctic is key to Russia's defences. Much of its nuclear arsenal and naval fleet is in the Kola Peninsula. Svalbard's location means it could be central to controlling the fleet's access to and from port in a conflict. If you have an outright conflict between NATO or between a NATO country and Russia, Svalbard is in play. Andreas Osthagen is an Arctic security analyst. In the Arctic, we see that Russian military activity has increased. And then as a response to this, as a counter measure, you could say, NATO military activity has increased as well. This year, NATO held its largest military exercises since the Cold War. Russia now finds itself isolated in the Arctic, surrounded by NATO member countries. For the first time in a long time in history, Norway is now actually spending 2% of our budget on defence, because of Russia. Since 2022, now I think we're viewing Russian intentions, Russian actions in the Arctic with more, um, scepticism, maybe even fear. It's 7:00am in Pyramiden and literally helicopter loads of Russians have just started arriving. One of the first people off is Ildar Neverov, arguably one of the most powerful Russians in Svalbard. He's the head of the state-run mining company. Today's one of the most important days on the Russian calendar - Victory Day, where they celebrate their defeat of the Nazis in World War II. The group of nearly 100 people have come from the other Russian settlement on Svalbard, Barentsburg. The Russian consul general to Svalbard, Andrei Chemerilo, is here too. Norwegian media have accused him of having a connection to the GRU - Russian military intelligence. Hello. It's nice to meet you. Can we have a chat later, please? Maybe later. Many of the visitors are wearing the ribbon of St George to commemorate Victory Day. But for some, the symbol now represents Russian aggression in Ukraine. (SINGS) (TRADITIONAL SONG PLAYS) It's so surreal being in what was once a model Soviet town that was abandoned, and now feels like it's experiencing a Russian revival. I feel like I'm in Russia, but I'm in Norway. And I'm not the only one. (MUSIC CONTINUES) After the parade, the once empty hotel restaurant is packed. At last year's Victory Day in Barentsburg, men drove vehicles bearing Russian flags while a helicopter flew above in what's been described as a military-style parade. To critics, it was seen as provocative propaganda, posturing on a territory belonging to a NATO member. Last year's Victory Day celebrations in Barentsburg were labelled as provocative by some in the West. Was that the intention, and do you fear that some of the events today may also be seen as being provocative? It's up to the people who are talking about this, because last year it was a, uh, I would say civil part of our municipal equipment - like snowmobiles, some tractors, some cleaning machines, with people walking with flags and so on. It is normal in Russia. Normal in Russia, but perhaps not on Norwegian soil. If you do arrange, say, military-style parades, it is basically, um, showing the middle finger to the Norwegian authorities in the Arctic or in Svalbard. And I think it plays well domestically. And also maybe, uh, you know, sticking it to NATO. At least the way it is right now, I think it's clear that what Russia is interested in is to use Svalbard as a pressure point, that Norway feels a bit unsure or uncertain about what Russian authorities are actually interested in doing in Svalbard. We're heading back to the Norwegian settlement Longyearbyen. With the snow rapidly melting, we can't go back the way we came. Testing the ice thickness. Definitely thick enough. Instead, we need to cross the frozen fjord to the edge of the sea ice and wait for a lift. MAN: Is... What's this? Well, it's a crack. Where? So we just got to get these snowmobiles out of here real quick, and then, uh, get back to town. The boat's arrived. The snowmobiles are being lifted onto the boat by crane. Ours is the last snowmobile trip to Pyramiden for this season. There won't be any more snowmobiles going there until next winter. And watching this just makes you realise how extreme operating in the Arctic is. And I think the fact that people bother shows that this place is very important to a lot of people, and the Arctic is very important to a lot of countries. On a plateau overlooking Longyearbyen is an important piece of infrastructure. The world's largest commercial satellite ground station. Its antennas relay information from satellites to customers like NASA and the EU Space Programme. The satellite station is connected to the mainland through two undersea cables that come ashore at Longyearbyen. In early 2022, something happened. One of the cables was damaged, and the number one suspect was a Russian fishing trawler that allegedly went back and forth across the cable more than 100 times. If I had to bet - and I can because I'm an independent researcher - I would bet on Russia. I would bet that this was done deliberately to signal, to showcase to the west, to Norway, that we have the capabilities to cut. We know where these cables are. Before Terje Aunevik was elected as mayor, he worked as a shipping agent, including when the cable was damaged. What is new for us also now after the... ..after also the incident with the cable is a new pattern of acting from Russian, uh, environments. It's... And it's... It feels a bit like testing. A police investigation into the cable damage didn't lead to any charges, and the ship's owner denied it, but suspicions remain. So, you can see the digital traces of the vessels. I've been working in shipping for a while, and to me this was not a normal pattern for fishery. It's not that much cod that you could need to spend so much time on one single spot. So it was, uh... it was rather suspicious. Would you describe it as provocative, Russia's behaviour? It feels like provocative. Yes. And what do you think is behind that? Who knows? Who knows? But it's a bit scary. Yeah. Well, our focus is to prevent things from happening, and that's why we are proactive in going out and give information. Also threat assessments. Jon Fitje Hoffmann is from Norway's domestic intelligence and security service and an adviser to Svalbard's governor. As the Arctic becomes more important to countries like Russia and China, Norway said it wants to strengthen its control of activities in Svalbard. What is your biggest worry, though, or concern here? If we don't have enough oversight, enough...call it control and we are suddenly taken by surprise that somebody has established themselves in a way that is irreversible, it can be very difficult to regain the control. Norway's domestic intelligence service says Russia represents the greatest intelligence threat against Norway in 2024. Some of the companies here in Longyearbyen have told their staff not to take their phones to Barentsburg because of fears of hacking or spying. Are they realistic concerns? Yes. Norwegian media last year reported that the Russian consul general here in Svalbard, Andrei Chemerilo, has a connection to the GRU, Russian military intelligence services. Is that the case? (CHUCKLES) Uh, well, we have said that we don't, uh, confirm or...and we don't deny that. The Russian consul general declined a request for an interview before I arrived in Svalbard, but I still hoped to speak with him. I've been trying to talk to the Russian consul general for a couple of days, and I just saw his car headed to the airport, so I'm going to go and try and talk to him there. He's reluctant, but agrees to answer a few questions. Why is Svalbard important for Russia? You should acknowledge and remember that more than 53% of Arctic belongs to Russia. So... And more than 2.5 million people, Russian people, live in the Arctic zone of Russian Federation. That's why it's important for our country. Some Norwegian media have accused Russia... Two questions. No. ..of some provocative activities in the last few years here in Spitzbergen. No. Do you think that is... There is no... There is no provocative activities here. Last question. It was reported in the Norwegian media last year that you have connections to the GRU, to the military intelligence of Russia. Is this accurate or not? Uh... It's not fair. He pushes the camera to the side. I can tell you without camera. Off camera, he disputed the media reports and asked us to delete the last question. Svalbard is an intelligence target. They have to protect the most crucial assets and therefore, uh, with the proximity of Svalbard, they need to know what's going on here. (LOUD EXPLOSION) Today is Norwegian National Day in Longyearbyen. Here the salute isn't done with guns, it's done by coal miners with dynamite. (EXPLOSION) We celebrate a peaceful liberation and separation from Denmark. It's a big, big day in Norway, especially for the kids, because it's also calls the kids day. But it is our national day. Despite political tensions, a small group of children from the Russian settlement are here. They march along carrying Norwegian flags. I think it's important for us to signalise that it's... ..it's...even though there is a war going on which we really are against, it's not the kids' choice, you know. And what do you want the kids from Barentsburg to go away feeling after today? Well, look around. (CHUCKLES) See...see that it's possible to also celebrate a National Day without discussing war and guns and ammunition. I like the fact that, uh, the focus is on the kids. But there's no denying a dark shadow looms over even this celebration. For now, it's in Norway and Russia's interests to preserve what relations they can in Svalbard, to keep eyes on each other in this strategically important part of the world. It's one of few places where some contact between the two countries remains, but so too does suspicion. Would you say it seems like trust is the thing that's been lost in all this? Yeah. When it comes to the Russian regime, I would say yes. We have...there is a lack of trust now, and I'm afraid it will take time to build it up. Captions by Red Bee Media Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation