Norwegian police arrested a Russian on Tuesday who wanted to cross the Norwegian-Russian border with two drones in his possession. This was reported by the state-owned television station NRK. The Russian admits to having flown a drone in Norway, his defense attorney told the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet.
The Russian was arrested in Storskog, a border crossing between Norway and Russia, on Tuesday. Large amounts of film were seized, NRK reported. Storskog is located in the Troms and Finnmark region.
- He was stopped at Storskog on October 11 on his way out of Norway. It was a normal customs and police check, where they discovered drones in his luggage, police attorney Anja Mikkelsen Indbjør in the Finnmark police district told NRK.
On Thursday, the man was brought before a judge for remand. The police asked for two weeks in prison, while the man requested to be released, the defense attorney said.
The man is charged with violating the Sanctions Act and the sanctions regulations, which came into effect after Russia invaded Ukraine. According to NRK, the section stipulates that Russian companies are not allowed to fly to Norway.
In possession of several hard drives
In addition to the drones, the man also had several hard drives with him. The police will review the seizure and look at the scope and content of the drone footage. Norwegian Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl from the Centre Party (SP) has been briefed on the case.
- According to the sanctions regulations, it is prohibited for Russian persons to fly drones in Norway.
- We have recently implemented a number of measures to make ourselves better equipped to meet an increased intelligence threat and opportunities to avoid anyone circumventing the sanctions regulations, says the Minister of Justice.
If the charges against the man are extended, the Norwegian intelligence service, PST, will take over the investigation. PST tells the online newspaper VG that it has been actively involved in the case.
- PST is in close contact with the local police, and the initial investigation will help clarify whether the investigation should be taken over by PST or continue with the local police, says communications manager Trond Hugubakken to VG.
PST states that it is too early to say whether the drone flight could be espionage. A decision from the court is expected on Thursday evening or Friday.
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