Russia warns Norway of retaliation over fishing sanctions

Russia had accused Norway of neglecting its obligations under bilateral agreements by following the EU's example and imposing restrictions on the operations of Russian fishing vessels.

This damning statement was made by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on July 30, Caliber.Az reports citing TASS, threatening Oslo that such actions will not go unanswered by Moscow.

The Russian Foreign Ministry reported earlier that it had summoned Norway’s chargé d'affaires to Russia, Ragnhild Johansen and handed him a note of protest regarding the restrictions imposed on Russian fishing vessels. These limitations concern ships operated by the Russian companies Norebo and Murman Seafood, which conduct fishing operations in Norway’s exclusive economic zone under a bilateral intergovernmental agreement.

“There is a clear case of gross disregard by Norway for its obligations under existing bilateral agreements, including the 1976 Agreement on Fisheries Relations, as well as a direct violation of decisions made by the joint Russian-Norwegian Fisheries Commission [...] We are forced to state that mutually beneficial cooperation with Norway in the field of fisheries has suffered a serious blow. Such unfriendly actions by Oslo will not go without an appropriate response from our side,” Zakharova stressed at a media briefing.

The Norwegian government announced in early July that it was aligning itself with the EU’s recent sanctions, adopted on May 20, 2025 and decided to sanction two Russian fishing companies. Its foreign ministry accused Norebo JSC and Murman Seafood of being involved in Russian state-sponsored intelligence activities that are threatening Norwegian and allied maritime areas.

The sanctions include freezing the companies' assets and banning their ships from Norwegian ports and territorial waters, as well as suspending the granting of licenses for fishing in Norway's economic zone to vessels from those companies.

By Nazrin Sadigova