69 Russians return home as ‘Professor Molchanov’ remains impounded in Norway over a claim by Ukraine’s Naftogaz

Filed 18h ago · Via Meduza · The Buffoon Desk

THIS STORY IS SCORED

Waltz of the Carnies

Kevin MacLeod · incompetech.com · CC BY 4.0

Photo: PMO Barbados from Bridgetown, Barbados · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

Sixty-nine Russian citizens aboard the research vessel Professor Molchanov have returned home after Norway impounded the ship in a case tied to Ukraine's Naftogaz seeking to recover funds Russia expropriated in 2014. Svalbard's governor arranged their early return with cooperation from the Russian consul and the Arktikugol trust, even as the vessel itself remains moored in Barentsburg.

Russia's Far East and Arctic development minister Alexey Chekunkov called the detention illegal and vowed to keep pushing for the ship's release. The Molchanov normally ferries tourists, scientists and Arktikugol employees between Murmansk and Barentsburg, with ten voyages planned for 2026.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.

✒ FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

Everybody got to go home except the boat, which is either a tidy bit of diplomacy or proof that courts move slower than people do. Either way it's a strange kind of custody battle, where the passengers are free and the vessel is the one doing time.

Source: Read the original at Meduza → Scored: Waltz of the Carnies · Kevin MacLeod · CC BY 4.0

Read it scored.

Every story, every clown, every kazoo — in your pocket. Music plays automatically. Regret is optional.

GET IT ON iOS GET IT ON ANDROID