Russian destroyer opens warning fire at Norwegian fishermen

Norwegian fishermen claim that a Russian destroyer fired a warning shot in their direction during the Ocean 2024 exercise in the Barents Sea.

Here's What We Know

The captain of the Norwegian vessel, Eysten Orten, says he received a radio demand from the Russian ship to leave the area, but refused to do so. Then, according to him, the destroyer blew its horn, approached 200 metres and fired a warning shot.

"There was a powerful explosion, the ship shook. But we know that a Norwegian fishing boat is not the place to start World War III," Orten recalls. So the Norwegian fishermen were forced to leave the location.

The operational headquarters of the Norwegian Armed Forces states that the coast guard was present in the area of the incident, but cannot confirm the shot. The Barents Observer journalist called Russia's actions "sabotage and hooliganism".

The incident took place in Norway's exclusive economic zone (as these are neutral waters, Russia is allowed to conduct exercises there). Since the full-scale invasion, such exercises have increased, and local fishermen regularly complain about them.

Source: Frifagbevegelse