Norway has internationally recognized authority over the Svalbard archipelago but Russia has long had a presence on the Svalbard island of Spitsbergen as well. Its communities at Barentsburg and Pyramiden, though, fell onto hard times in the 1990s.
Now, says the Norwegian governor of Svalbard Per Sefland, the settlements are getting lots of attention from Moscow, and investment as well.
"It's clear that the Russians are in the process of strengthening their presence here," Sefland told newspaper Aftenposten. "And it's increasingly clear that it's the official Russia that's involved."
The Russians, he said, have plans for business development and increased activity on Svalbard. They have presented him with plans for their own airport, a new coal mine and a fishing terminal. The Russian population at Barentsburg is expected to increase.
After 10 years of inactivity and neglect, the settlement at Pyramiden is also springing back to life. Restoration work is already underway on the town's infrastructure and hotel.
"We think they're planning on tourism, and the hotel will be put into use," Sefland said.
Top Russian officials have themselves said that Russia has "strategic interests on Svalbard that will be taken care of," and political observers have no doubts they will.
"The Russians want to make their presence known, and be seen as a major power," said Julie Wilhelmsen of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (Norsk utenrikspolitisk institut, NUPI). She views their heightened interest in Svalbard as an extension of the stepped-up military activity in the Arctic and North Sea.
"Now the country has the capacity to carry out its plans," Wilhelmsen said. "It's crystal clear that they're making their 'outer districts' a priority. It's both symbolically and strategically important for them."
