Ukraine War Casts A Chill In Norwegian Arctic Town

Barentsburg, Svalbard, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th May, 2022 ) :War may be far away but tensions from the Ukraine conflict are causing an unprecedented chill in a remote Arctic town where Russian and Ukrainian coalminers have worked side by side for decades.

In Barentsburg, in Norway's Svalbard archipelago, relics of a bygone era -- a bust of Lenin, a sculpture with Cyrillic script declaring "Our goal - Communism" -- bear witness to Russia's longstanding presence.

The town's population peaked at around 1,500 in the 1980s, but shrank after the Soviet Union collapsed.

Now, some 370 people live here, two-thirds of them Ukrainians -- most from the Russian-speaking eastern Donbas region -- and the remainder Russians.

The atmosphere on the archipelago changed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February, officials and residents told AFP.

"Opinions are absolutely polarised," admits Russian tour guide and historian Natalia Maksimishina.

But, she says, "what our long and difficult history of the Soviet Union has taught us is that people here know when to stop talking politics".

Some Ukrainians accuse the Russian state-owned company Arktikugol Trust operating the coal mine in Barentsburg of muzzling dissent.

But Russia's consul Sergey Guschin says there were "no visible signs of conflict on the surface", although he admits "there are of course some tensions and discussions on social networks" like Facebook and Telegram.

The consulate is protected by high iron bars and security cameras, and lavishly decorated with a marble entrance, winter garden and custom-made tapestries.

Its splendour stands out in the otherwise drab town.