{"id":19184,"date":"2019-12-03T14:42:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-03T11:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/?p=19184"},"modified":"2020-12-21T17:08:01","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T14:08:01","slug":"kirkenes-freedom-barents-observer-blocked-as-finnmarks-liberation-is-celebrated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/articles\/kirkenes-freedom-barents-observer-blocked-as-finnmarks-liberation-is-celebrated\/","title":{"rendered":"Kirkenes Freedom: Barents Observer Blocked as Finnmark\u2019s Liberation is Celebrated"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The long history of ties between Russia and Norway dates back to the Middle Ages, when trade started to flourish. In the 17<sup>th<\/sup> and 18<sup>th<\/sup> centuries, a pidgin language known as <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russenorsk\">Russenorsk <\/a>(or Moja p\u00e5 tvoja), which coast dwellers and Norwegian traders of grains and fish used to understand each other, emerged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery alignwide columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"621\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/rus_norhandel1914_17-621x500.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"19150\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/rus_norhandel1914_17.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/?attachment_id=19150\" class=\"wp-image-19150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/rus_norhandel1914_17-621x500.jpg 621w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/rus_norhandel1914_17-300x241.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/rus_norhandel1914_17-220x177.jpg 220w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/rus_norhandel1914_17-250x201.jpg 250w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/rus_norhandel1914_17-550x443.jpg 550w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/rus_norhandel1914_17-224x180.jpg 224w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/rus_norhandel1914_17-373x300.jpg 373w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/rus_norhandel1914_17.jpg 650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 621px) 100vw, 621px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\"> <br \/> Norwegian fishermen Photo: Lofoten Stockfish Museum <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"445\" src=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barrels-with-tar-ready-to-be-loaded-onto-ships-arkhangelsk-archangel-337e8e-650x445.jpeg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"19148\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barrels-with-tar-ready-to-be-loaded-onto-ships-arkhangelsk-archangel-337e8e.jpeg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/?attachment_id=19148\" class=\"wp-image-19148\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barrels-with-tar-ready-to-be-loaded-onto-ships-arkhangelsk-archangel-337e8e-650x445.jpeg 650w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barrels-with-tar-ready-to-be-loaded-onto-ships-arkhangelsk-archangel-337e8e-300x205.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barrels-with-tar-ready-to-be-loaded-onto-ships-arkhangelsk-archangel-337e8e-768x526.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barrels-with-tar-ready-to-be-loaded-onto-ships-arkhangelsk-archangel-337e8e-220x151.jpeg 220w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barrels-with-tar-ready-to-be-loaded-onto-ships-arkhangelsk-archangel-337e8e-250x171.jpeg 250w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barrels-with-tar-ready-to-be-loaded-onto-ships-arkhangelsk-archangel-337e8e-550x377.jpeg 550w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barrels-with-tar-ready-to-be-loaded-onto-ships-arkhangelsk-archangel-337e8e-800x548.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barrels-with-tar-ready-to-be-loaded-onto-ships-arkhangelsk-archangel-337e8e-263x180.jpeg 263w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barrels-with-tar-ready-to-be-loaded-onto-ships-arkhangelsk-archangel-337e8e-438x300.jpeg 438w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barrels-with-tar-ready-to-be-loaded-onto-ships-arkhangelsk-archangel-337e8e-730x500.jpeg 730w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barrels-with-tar-ready-to-be-loaded-onto-ships-arkhangelsk-archangel-337e8e.jpeg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\"> <br \/> Port of Arkhangelsk Photo: romanovempire.org <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Russenorsk continued to be spoken into the early 20<sup>th<\/sup> century, but fell out of use when free movement was banned in these places. Even with a closed border, the Russian-Norwegian Arctic continued to be a territory of close ties and shared problems related to peaceful co-existence in a harsh northern environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The specific ties in the region of the Barents Sea are reflected in corresponding terms: \u201cBarents Region,\u201d \u201cBarents cooperation,\u201d \u201cBarents summit,\u201d and others. The Kirkenes Declaration of Cooperation in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region was signed in 1993, after the fall of the iron curtain. Twenty years later, in 2013, the leaders of the Barents countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Finland, and Sweden) participated in the Barents Summit in Kirkenes and signed a new agreement that recognized the importance of cross-border contacts between indigenous peoples and the development of cooperation between young people and regional institutions like the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, the Barents Parliamentary Conference, the Barents Regional Council, and the Barents Indigenous Peoples Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The updated <a href=\"http:\/\/static.government.ru\/media\/files\/41d46b75c7931f08b9b7.pdf\">Kirkenes Declaration of 2013<\/a> states that: \u201cUrgent issues on the European agenda, such a strengthening tolerance and combating radicalism, xenophobia and violent extremism, related to discrimination, social exclusion and negative stereotyping of minorities. In order to solve these problems, we need to use wide-ranging efforts in such areas as legislation, education, social dialogue and awareness-raising. Although responsibility for combating hate crime and intolerance primarily lies with the state authorities, civil society can play a crucial role in this endeavour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"395\" src=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/5491365579_36e76dbb12_o-650x395.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/5491365579_36e76dbb12_o-650x395.jpg 650w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/5491365579_36e76dbb12_o-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/5491365579_36e76dbb12_o-768x467.jpg 768w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/5491365579_36e76dbb12_o-220x134.jpg 220w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/5491365579_36e76dbb12_o-250x152.jpg 250w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/5491365579_36e76dbb12_o-550x334.jpg 550w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/5491365579_36e76dbb12_o-800x486.jpg 800w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/5491365579_36e76dbb12_o-296x180.jpg 296w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/5491365579_36e76dbb12_o-493x300.jpg 493w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/5491365579_36e76dbb12_o-822x500.jpg 822w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/5491365579_36e76dbb12_o.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption> Saami tent. Photo of the Reindeer Grazing Commission, 1913. National Archives of Norway <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">However, it was with \u201cawareness-raising\u201d and overcoming the \u201cnegative stereotyping of minorities\u201d that problems start to emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This year, the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) blocked the Kirkenes publication <em><a href=\"https:\/\/thebarentsobserver.com\">Barents Observer<\/a>, <\/em>which has written about the region\u2019s problems in Russian and Norwegian since 2002. The cause for the blocking of the entire site in Russia was the publication of <a href=\"https:\/\/thebarentsobserver.com\/en\/life-and-public\/2019\/01\/suicide-attempts-happiness-and-pride\">an article<\/a> about Dan Eriksson, a gay Saami from northern Sweden who went through a painful struggle for self-acceptance and now helps gay Swedes cope with psychological problems and suicidal thoughts. The idea of the article was clearly life-affirming\u2014it begins with the words \u201cLife can be hell. But it can be different when people have the chance to speak about painful things and develop the courage to be themselves. Today, after many years of psychological problems and two suicide attempts, Saami Dan Eriksson takes joy in life and is proud of his homosexuality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article recounts how it took Dan Eriksson a long time to accept himself, how he suffered from a double stigma, and how difficult it was for him to stop feeling ashamed of his heritage and orientation. Now he can say: \u201cToday I am proud to be a Saami. I am proud to be a gay Saami.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" src=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/erikssondan-mariannehofmann-650x488.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/erikssondan-mariannehofmann-650x488.jpg 650w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/erikssondan-mariannehofmann-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/erikssondan-mariannehofmann-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/erikssondan-mariannehofmann-220x165.jpg 220w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/erikssondan-mariannehofmann-250x188.jpg 250w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/erikssondan-mariannehofmann-550x413.jpg 550w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/erikssondan-mariannehofmann-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/erikssondan-mariannehofmann-240x180.jpg 240w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/erikssondan-mariannehofmann-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/erikssondan-mariannehofmann-667x500.jpg 667w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/erikssondan-mariannehofmann.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption> Dan Eriksson.  Photo:&nbsp;Peder Lundkvist  thebarentsobserver.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Dan Eriksson found the strength within himself to come to grips with what he calls \u201csocial phobia,\u201d which is the constant fear of being viewed in a negative light by the people and prejudices surrounding you. He also understands the problems of people from traditional societies, where standard gender roles and stereotypes are particularly strong: \u201cAs a member of the Saami people, you feel enormous pressure to be strong and handle everything on your own. But there\u2019s nothing wrong with showing that sometimes you can be weak.\u201d His victory over his fear and pain, which became possible with support from his ex-wife and her mother, gave Dan the strength not just to live on, but also to help others through the organization Suicide Zero. His approach is as follows: \u201cIt\u2019s unbelievably important. We have to speak, we have to listen. We don\u2019t have to understand, but we do have to listen. And we shouldn\u2019t be afraid to ask from time to time if someone has thoughts of suicide. It\u2019s hard, but it\u2019s dangerous not to speak about this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> It is clear that the story of this person\u2019s positive experience can in no way violate the ban on \u201ccalls to suicide.\u201d Be that as it may, in its decision no. 67131 of January 23, 2019, the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) notified Roskomnadzor of the presence of banned information about ways to commit suicide on a website page. Roskomnadzor demanded that <em>The Barents Observer<\/em> delete its article about Dan Eriksson, but editor-in-chief Thomas Nilsen categorically refused and interpreted the media regulator\u2019s action as an encroachment on freedom of speech. After this, \u201cin connection with the website owner\u2019s failure to take measures to remove this information and the hosting provider\u2019s failure to adopt measures to restrict access to this article, under Decision No 236707-IP-on of Roskomnadzor, the network address enabling identification of this website on the internet was entered into the Unified Register\u201d (that is, was blocked).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"434\" src=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barentsobserver.nevalyashka-as-650x434.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19157\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barentsobserver.nevalyashka-as-650x434.jpg 650w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barentsobserver.nevalyashka-as-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barentsobserver.nevalyashka-as-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barentsobserver.nevalyashka-as-220x147.jpg 220w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barentsobserver.nevalyashka-as-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barentsobserver.nevalyashka-as-550x367.jpg 550w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barentsobserver.nevalyashka-as-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barentsobserver.nevalyashka-as-270x180.jpg 270w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barentsobserver.nevalyashka-as-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barentsobserver.nevalyashka-as-750x500.jpg 750w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/barentsobserver.nevalyashka-as.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption> Photo: Atle Staalesen. thebarentsobserver.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>ADC Memorial <a href=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/www\/18041.html?lang=en\">supported <\/a><em>The Barents Observer\u2019s <\/em>claim against Rospotrebnadzor and Roskomnadzor requesting that the blocking be reversed. Representatives for the publication complained to the court that its rights had been violated in Russia and showed that the article did not contain anything illegal. They also presented the opinion of a professional psychologist, who confirmed that the article did not contain any calls to suicide or specific descriptions of ways to commit suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> The article\u2019s reference to Dan\u2019s attempted suicide as he tried to come to terms with his sexuality (even though he was able to ask a close person for help before it was too late and was saved) can hardly be termed \u201ca description of a means\u201d\u2014otherwise, we will have to ban such classics as Chernyshevsky\u2019s <em>What is to be Done<\/em>, which describes Vera Pavlovna\u2019s thoughts in a difficult hour, not to mention Tolstoy\u2019s <em>Anna Karenina.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The proud gay Saami\u2019s idea that tragedies are often the result of suppressing the problem and refusing to discuss the risk of suicide was left unanswered by Moscow\u2019s Tverskoy District Court. Dan\u2019s simple and humane words\u2014\u201cAccording to statistics, 1,500 suicides occur in Sweden every year. That\u2019s four per day, much more than the number of traffic fatalities. We have to talk about suicide, we have to find the courage within ourselves, and we have to listen\u201d\u2014received only a dry and lifeless response in the court\u2019s decision: \u201cUpon review of this case, the court could not establish the totality of these circumstances; the allegations of <em>The Independent Barents Observer AS <\/em>concerning illegal actions (inactions) could not be confirmed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ruling of the Tverskoy District Court is being appealed with the Moscow City Court. And <em>The Barents Observer <\/em>continues to write about important events for the region, including in Russian, even though it is blocked in Russia. For example, in late October it is a tradition for this outlet and other media outlets in Norway and Russia to report on the liberation of eastern Finnmark (the northern part of Norway bordering Russia) from the German fascists by the Soviet Army; 2019 marked the 75<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary of this event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike the residents of many other countries that the Soviet Army entered during World War II, the Norwegians of Finnmark remain grateful to Soviet soldiers for their liberation and for helping to restore razed buildings, bridges, and roads (the Germans followed the <a href=\"https:\/\/barentsobserver.com\/en\/society\/2014\/10\/scorching-and-liberation-finnmark-short-introduction-14-10\">scorched earth policy<\/a> during their retreat) and provide supplies during a terrible famine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery alignfull columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" src=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/16768601503_9c35cce9ae_c-650x488.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"19159\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/16768601503_9c35cce9ae_c.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/?attachment_id=19159\" class=\"wp-image-19159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/16768601503_9c35cce9ae_c-650x488.jpg 650w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/16768601503_9c35cce9ae_c-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/16768601503_9c35cce9ae_c-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/16768601503_9c35cce9ae_c-220x165.jpg 220w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/16768601503_9c35cce9ae_c-250x188.jpg 250w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/16768601503_9c35cce9ae_c-550x413.jpg 550w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/16768601503_9c35cce9ae_c-240x180.jpg 240w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/16768601503_9c35cce9ae_c-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/16768601503_9c35cce9ae_c-667x500.jpg 667w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/16768601503_9c35cce9ae_c.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\"> <br \/>   Kirkenes. Photo: TASS photo report. National Archives of Norway <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"413\" src=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pod-kam-650x413.png\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"19161\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pod-kam-scaled.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/?attachment_id=19161\" class=\"wp-image-19161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pod-kam-650x413.png 650w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pod-kam-300x191.png 300w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pod-kam-768x488.png 768w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pod-kam-1536x975.png 1536w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pod-kam-2048x1301.png 2048w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pod-kam-220x140.png 220w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pod-kam-250x159.png 250w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pod-kam-550x349.png 550w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pod-kam-800x508.png 800w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pod-kam-283x180.png 283w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pod-kam-472x300.png 472w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/pod-kam-787x500.png 787w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\"> <br \/> Scene from the film \u201cUnder a Stone Sky,\u201d 1974 <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"> A special page in history belongs to the legendary rescue of several thousand local residents who did not obey the German order to evacuate and hid in a mine (the retreating fascists intended to blow up the mine with the people in it). This rescue later become the subject of the film \u201cUnder a Stone Sky\u201d (1974), which, incidentally, Igor Mikhailovich Diakonoff did not like and called a \u201cfantasy;\u201d indeed, he never spoke in exalted terms about his service in the trenches or at headquarters and was even critical of it. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The fond memories of the Soviet presence in Finnmark are connected with the fact that the representative of Soviet headquarters in Kirkenes was the renowned Orientalist Igor Mikhailovich Diakonoff (1915\u20131999), who spoke Norwegian. He is still remembered in Norway and became an honorary citizen of Kirkenes after the war. During a polar night of 1944, Diakonoff wrote his philosophical tract \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/lib.ru\/CULTURE\/DYAKONOW\/kirkeness.txt\">Kirkenes Ethics<\/a>,\u201d which was inspired by his tragic personal and simultaneously historical experiences, including Stalin\u2019s repressions (his father perished) and what he saw in the war. \u201cNaturally, war stands in the way of a universal understanding of the concept of \u2018my neighbor\u2019 and in any case is the greatest of crimes. But for now let us leave it aside and avoid asking who is guilty of this war. Let us treat those ethical problems that affect simple people, like \u2018we\u2019 and \u2018you\u2019 during war. War immediately divides all the people by a definite frontline. No ethical advantages belong to the enemy. To kill the enemy does not mean to commit homicide. In theory it relates only to an armed enemy wearing a military uniform, who is not a prisoner of war. In reality none of this is true. A pilot of a bomber, when he drops his death-dealing bombs, certainly knows that he will or may tear to pieces along with an armed enemy also civilians and children. An artillery-gunner possesses the same knowledge as an infantry man (more frequently than usually assumed). Robbery, theft, and rape accompany every war. The author of the \u201cKirkenes ethics\u201d started his military service with the theft of hay from a peasant: his people were accommodated in a shack with no heating. This was in October, and the place was not far from the Arctic Circle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dyak2-650x480.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dyak2-650x480.png 650w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dyak2-300x222.png 300w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dyak2-768x567.png 768w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dyak2-1536x1134.png 1536w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dyak2-2048x1512.png 2048w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dyak2-220x162.png 220w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dyak2-250x185.png 250w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dyak2-550x406.png 550w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dyak2-800x591.png 800w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dyak2-244x180.png 244w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dyak2-406x300.png 406w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dyak2-677x500.png 677w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption> In the 1991 documentary film \u201cKirkenes Ethics,\u201d Diakonoff responded to Alexander Sokurov\u2019s questions about how to build a new life for the country and how to understand its history <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The idea that war is a crime appears banal, but in the context of contemporary Russian history, it is worth recalling these lines written by a witness to World War II. This year\u2019s ceremonial events in Kirkenes were criticized by <em>The Barents Observer<\/em> specifically for their excessive militarization, particularly the <a href=\"https:\/\/thebarentsobserver.com\/en\/security\/2019\/10\/youth-army-call-norway\">invitation of members of the Young Army Cadets National Movement from Russia<\/a> (at approximately the same time, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kommersant.ru\/doc\/4142071\">Russian Ministry of Education recommended holding competitions in Russian schools for stripping and assembling Kalashnikovs<\/a> in honor of the birth of the weapon\u2019s inventor). However, <em>The Barents Observer <\/em>cannot be accused of one-sidedness: It gave the coordinator for the Norwegian side an <a href=\"https:\/\/thebarentsobserver.com\/en\/2019\/10\/omtale-av-ungdomsprosjekt-i-barents-observer-26-oktober-2019\">opportunity to express his objections<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery alignwide columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388527871_7610fd9de4_c-650x432.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"19167\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388527871_7610fd9de4_c.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/?attachment_id=19167\" class=\"wp-image-19167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388527871_7610fd9de4_c-650x432.jpg 650w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388527871_7610fd9de4_c-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388527871_7610fd9de4_c-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388527871_7610fd9de4_c-220x146.jpg 220w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388527871_7610fd9de4_c-250x166.jpg 250w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388527871_7610fd9de4_c-550x366.jpg 550w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388527871_7610fd9de4_c-271x180.jpg 271w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388527871_7610fd9de4_c-451x300.jpg 451w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388527871_7610fd9de4_c-752x500.jpg 752w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388527871_7610fd9de4_c.jpg 799w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\"> <br \/> <br \/> Ruins of Kirkenes, 1944. National Archives of Norway <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"340\" src=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388884025_9a6d127e7c_k-650x340.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"19169\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388884025_9a6d127e7c_k.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/?attachment_id=19169\" class=\"wp-image-19169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388884025_9a6d127e7c_k-650x340.jpg 650w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388884025_9a6d127e7c_k-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388884025_9a6d127e7c_k-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388884025_9a6d127e7c_k-1536x804.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388884025_9a6d127e7c_k-220x115.jpg 220w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388884025_9a6d127e7c_k-250x131.jpg 250w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388884025_9a6d127e7c_k-550x288.jpg 550w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388884025_9a6d127e7c_k-800x419.jpg 800w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388884025_9a6d127e7c_k-344x180.jpg 344w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388884025_9a6d127e7c_k-573x300.jpg 573w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388884025_9a6d127e7c_k-956x500.jpg 956w, https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/17388884025_9a6d127e7c_k.jpg 2047w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">  Ruins of Kirkenes, 1944. National Archives of Norway  <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"> <br \/>Diakonoff writes: \u201cThe Norwegians gave us a wonderful reception. No hugs or kisses, of course, that\u2019s not their custom. But still, they treated us very well\u2026. We also treated them well. We ate general\u2019s rusk at headquarters, but the units had their own field kitchens and baked bread. The Norwegians had no supplies at all, their entire production was destroyed by the Germans, and we didn\u2019t have the power to set things right. In particular, it was not within our power to pull off all the good deeds described in the official history of the Karelian Front. The units helped with food and even gave some extra food to the children, and later headquarters provided another important form of assistance to the population\u2026 The problem of finding accommodations for people\u2014both our people and the Norwegians\u2014was extremely complex. The municipality moved as many people as it could into the remaining homes, but there were very, very few of them. Many people lived in snow-covered improvised shelters in the woods. Bj\u00f8rnevatn and Neiden were intact, but almost nothing was left of the outskirts or Kirkenes. The buildings that were still standing held our soldiers and officers. In early November, our command\u2014I don\u2019t know who exactly, but I think General V.I. Shcherbakov\u2014published an order requiring all our soldiers to leave these homes. The Norwegians were also transferred a large number of the remaining German barracks. There was some moaning and groaning about the order to leave these houses, and I had to help with this from time to time. The Museum of the Soviet Army in Moscow has a page torn out of a notebook that reads: \u2018The bearer of this, Citizen Vilhelmsen V., is being moved into this house by the local government. At the order of the commandant for the city, please clean the premises. November 2, 1944. Duty Commandant Senior Lieutenant I. Diakonoff.\u2019 \u2018Duty commandant\u2019\u2014that was something I came up with: I had no position, I was \u2018forsaken.\u2019\u201d <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One has to agree with the Norwegian journalists: It would be better to see less of a military outlook in the Arctic (and in other places as well). On October 25, the ensemble of the Northern Fleet and the Norwegian military orchestra from Harstad performed on the stage of the unique concert hall Fjellhallen, located on a cliff in Kirkenes. As Aleksey Yankovsky-Diakonoff, who gave a lecture about his father in Kirkenes during the celebration, wrote: \u201cthe idea that if you\u2019re going to meet the military, then it should be on stage, is a good idea.\u201d We would add, especially now, when the media is publishing alarming reports about a <a href=\"https:\/\/novayagazeta.ru\/articles\/2019\/10\/02\/82194-po-rabote-ezdili\">growing Russian military presence in this area<\/a> (the strange \u201cgreen men\u201d in Svalbard and the largest Russian <a href=\"https:\/\/novayagazeta.ru\/news\/2019\/10\/30\/156535-norvezhskie-voennye-soobschili-ob-operatsii-rossiyskih-podlodok-v-severnoy-atlantike?print=true\">submarines exercises in the Arctic<\/a>, which were reported by Norwegian sources). More importantly, freedom of speech and the press in this region is, in the broadest sense, awareness. Barents cooperation in the Barents region should be peaceful and open, and <em>The Barents Observer<\/em> should be independent and free from censorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><strong>Olga Abramenko<\/strong>, <br \/><em>expert of the Anti-Discrimination Center \u00abMemorial\u00bb<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The long history of ties between Russia and Norway dates back to the Middle Ages, when trade started to flourish. In the 17th and 18th centuries, a pidgin language known as Russenorsk (or Moja p\u00e5 tvoja), which coast dwellers and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":19124,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"single-longread.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[565],"tags":[401,535],"strategy_cases":[],"campaign":[],"archive":[],"filter-content":[],"regions":[],"class_list":["post-19184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-court-rulings","tag-indigenous-peoples"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556.jpg",2000,556,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-125x125.jpg",125,125,true],"medium":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-300x83.jpg",300,83,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-768x214.jpg",640,178,true],"large":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-650x181.jpg",640,178,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-1536x427.jpg",1536,427,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556.jpg",2000,556,false],"pub-thumb":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-220x61.jpg",220,61,true],"post-thumb":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-170x170.jpg",170,170,true],"wcicon":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-48x48.jpg",48,48,true],"wcsquare":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-300x300.jpg",300,300,true],"wcsmall":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-250x70.jpg",250,70,true],"wcstandard":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-550x153.jpg",550,153,true],"wcbig":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-800x222.jpg",800,222,true],"wcfixedheightsmall":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-647x180.jpg",647,180,true],"wcfixedheightmedium":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-1079x300.jpg",1079,300,true],"wcfixedheight":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-1799x500.jpg",1799,500,true],"wccarouselsmall":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-210x150.jpg",210,150,true],"wccarousel":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-400x285.jpg",400,285,true],"wcslider":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dog_sledge_in_sun_long-2000x556-1100x500.jpg",1100,500,true]},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":"<p>The long history of ties between Russia and Norway dates back to the Middle Ages, when trade started to flourish. In the 17th and 18th centuries, a pidgin language known as Russenorsk (or Moja p\u00e5 tvoja), which coast dwellers and Norwegian traders of grains and fish used to understand each other, emerged. Norwegian fishermen Photo: Lofoten Stockfish Museum Port of Arkhangelsk Photo: romanovempire.org Russenorsk continued to be spoken into the early 20th century, but fell out of use when free movement was banned in these places. Even with a closed border, the Russian-Norwegian Arctic continued to be a territory of&hellip;<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"<a href=\"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/category\/articles\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Articles<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"\u0410 \u0411","url":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/author\/ab666\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","amp_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19184"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21663,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19184\/revisions\/21663"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19184"},{"taxonomy":"strategy_cases","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/strategy_cases?post=19184"},{"taxonomy":"campaign","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campaign?post=19184"},{"taxonomy":"archive","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/archive?post=19184"},{"taxonomy":"filter-content","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/filter-content?post=19184"},{"taxonomy":"regions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/regions?post=19184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}