Russian warship fired warning shot at Norwegian fishing boat

A Russian warship menaced a Norwegian fishing vessel in the Arctic Ocean earlier this month, firing a warning shot that forced it to flee, according to the small boat’s skipper.

The incident occurred on Sept. 12 in the Barents Sea, off Norway’s northern coast, and involved Russian anti-submarine destroyer Admiral Levchenko, which was participating in a military exercise, and a small Norwegian fishing boat.

“I was called up on the radio: ‘This is Russian Warship, you need to leave the area,’” the Norwegian vessel’s captain Øystein Orten told local media. “I replied that there is no question of us moving. We had lines to haul.”

Orten and his crew of five said the 163-meter warship then barreled toward their 15-meter fishing boat, blowing its horn and firing a warning shot that exploded in the water near their vessel. “It was a powerful blast, our boat was shaking,” Orten said, adding they quickly sailed a safe distance away.

A spokesperson for the Norwegian Joint Headquarters confirmed to local media that a radio conversation took place between the Russian warship and the Norwegian fishing vessel but said it did not observe the warning shot.

The incident occurred in Norway’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Barents Sea, which is divided between Norway and Russia. The Kremlin has in recent years conducted military drills and missile launches inside Norway’s EEZ, angering Norwegian fishermen in the area.

Russia’s foreign minister warned last week that Moscow was “fully ready to defend its interests” in the Arctic.