Atle Staalesen

Monster icebreaker for transpolar shipping

Take a peek at the projected Russian icebreaker, which will be able to open major sea lanes straight across the Arctic Ocean.
December 31, 2015

Terrorism is coming to Arctic, Putin fears

In a bid to counter the threat, Moscow decides to establish a counter-terrorism center in Murmansk.
December 29, 2015

Political cleanse in Petrozavodsk

Three days after the dismissal of liberal Petrozavodsk City Mayor Galina Shirshina, the region’s Supreme Court upholds charges against Deputy Mayor Yevgenia Sukhorukova.
December 29, 2015

Navy fills up with new ships

Russian Navy gets more new vessels than ever before in post-Soviet times.
December 28, 2015

More polar bears in Svalbard

But life conditions for the great Arctic predator is increasingly at risk as temperatures rise and ice melts.
December 27, 2015

Norwegian smolt gets blame for Russian disease

Russia’s leading aquaculture company believes smolt from Norway is behind this year’s major outbreak of disease in Kola fjords.
December 26, 2015

Liberal mayor booted from office

This is orchestrated by regional Governor Aleksandr Khudilainen, Petrozavodsk City Mayor Galina Shirshina says as she is forced to leave her post.
December 26, 2015

Christmas in the Arctic

As calm is descending on people and towns, Finnish Lapland fills up with tourists desiring white Christmas and a meeting with Santa.
December 24, 2015

New tankers for Arctic field

Russian shipping major Sovcomflot invests $340 million in three new tankers for the Novy Port project.
December 23, 2015

This vessel will transport Northern Fleet weapons

The ”Akademik Kovelyov” is officially handed over to the Northern Fleet. It will provide transportation of weaponry, including the Bulava inter-continental ballistic missile.
December 22, 2015

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Atle is journalist and Publisher of the Independent Barents Observer.

In 2002, he founded the Barents Observer. He was editor until 2009 and later worked as journalist and project coordinator for several European cross-border cooperation projects. In late 2015, following a conflict over editorial rights, he re-established the Barents Observer as an independent and non-profit stock company along with the rest of the newspaper crew.  

Atle has a degree in Russian studies from the University of Oslo and studied journalism at the Moscow State University.

atle@thebarentsobserver.com
@atlestaalesen