Russia slams Norway’s "unjustified" ban, threatens to close its fishing zone

Russia has warned it will take retaliatory action against Norwegian fishing vessels if Oslo fails to revise its recent decision within a month, Ilya Shestakov, head of the Federal Agency for Fishery (Rosrybolovstvo), announced.

According to the agency’s press service, quoted by the Russian press, Norway imposed what Moscow described as an unjustified ban in July 2025, prohibiting two Russian companies from fishing in Norway’s exclusive economic zone. The move, the statement said, constitutes a blatant violation of long-standing agreements on the joint management of aquatic biological resources.

“If the Norwegian side does not reconsider its position within a month, Russia will close its exclusive economic zone to Norwegian fishing vessels,” Shestakov said, according to the ministry. “Moreover, fishing operations and the allocation of catch quotas in the open waters of the Barents and Norwegian Seas will be determined strictly based on Russia’s national interests.”

Shestakov stressed that Norway’s actions risk dismantling an effective system of management and regulation of fisheries in the North Atlantic — a framework developed over decades to ensure the sustainable and rational use of shared aquatic resources.

The Russian official issued the warning during an extraordinary session of the Russian-Norwegian Joint Fisheries Commission, which has been functioning since 1976 to promote the sustainable exploitation of marine biological resources in the Barents and Norwegian Seas.

“Even during the Cold War, both parties conscientiously honored their commitments, ensured access for vessels to fishing areas, and exchanged scientific data,” Rosrybolovstvo noted. “The unfriendly actions of the Norwegian side against two Russian companies are unprecedented.”

By Tamilla Hasanova