Norway bombs Russian base:
“Arctic Pearl Harbor”, says Putin
Nagurskoye is one of the world’s northernmost military installations.
By Alexander Söberg, published January 17, 2026, 12:22 PM
In a significant escalation of rising Russo-Norwegian tensions over the Franz Josef Land archipelago in the Arctic, the Norwegian Armed Forces launched a surprise military strike on Russia’s northernmost military base, known as Nagurskoye, just after midnight on Friday. The Norwegian attack has significantly damaged the Russian base and left its control tower inoperable. 68 Russian soldiers were killed in the strike, while a further 43 Russian soldiers were taken prisoner by the Norwegian Armed Forces. The imprisoned soldiers are expected to be repatriated to Russia in the same plane as the remains of their comrades later today.
“An act of war”
Russian president Vladimir Putin made a special televised address following the incident, referring to it as a “savage act of war, reminiscent of the fascist Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor”, and asserting that “Russia will take all measures necessary to defend its sovereign territory”. Russia has recalled its diplomats to Norway and urged Russian citizens in Norway to “leave the country without haste”, stoking fears of an imminent Russian attack on mainland Norway in retaliation for the strike on Nagurskoye. Such a strike has the potential to trigger a war between Russia and NATO.
Domestically, the strike on Nagurskoye has alienated Norway’s ruling Labor Party from its supporters in parliament — the Socialist Left, Center, Red, and Green parties — who issued a collective statement condemning the act as “shameful warmongering”, and urging a “peaceful resolution”. Contrarily, the attack on Nagurskoye won praise from the incumbent government’s own opposition, particularly from the far-right Progress Party, who became the second biggest party in the Norwegian parliament following the 2025 election.
Norway’s attack has also been met with global condemnation from the international community, with many wondering what the Støre government’s motivations for the attack actually were. Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Labor) announced in a press conference on Friday that the attack was a “preemptive strike within the bounds of international law, intended to prevent an imminent Russian invasion of Svalbard”. The Svalbard archipelago has itself been the subject of a long-lasting dispute between Norway and Russia regarding the interpretation of the Svalbard Treaty, with Russia accusing Norway of militarizing the archipelago.
“Fridtjof Nansen Land is ours”
The surprise attack on Nagurskoye air base happened only three days after Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre was controversially seen at an official event in front of a map of Norway that appeared to depict Franz Josef Land as part of Norway’s sovereign territory. Although the Støre government later released a statement apologizing for the map, claiming that its inclusion of Franz Josef Land was a “mistake generated by AI”, AI expert John Kileberg claims that the map in question was likely not made with AI at all.
The Norwegian government has referred to Franz Josef Land as “Fridtjof Nansen Land” in all its official communications since September, when the Norwegian parliament passed a new law officially changing the archipelago’s name back to its historical name used during its brief time under Norwegian rule. This new “Fridtjof Nansen” vs “Franz Josef” name dispute has led Russia to fear a revival of Norwegian claims to the archipelago — claims that Norway has never relinquished de jure, only de facto following the islands’ annexation by the USSR in 1926.
Commentators note that, although the Norwegian government still officially denies any plans to annex Franz Josef Land from Russia, that the “Fridtjof Nansen Land” name dispute may still be capitalizing on a political trend for “Norvegia irredenta”. This trend for Norwegian irredentism was started by the Progress Party when it vowed in January of 2025 during its election campaign to revive Norwegian claims to Greenland. The Progress Party’s irredentist movement, known as #ERLEV [“Erik the Red’s Land Is Ours!”], has become a major force in Norwegian politics over the past year, leading some to suspect that Jonas Gahr Støre may be attempting to build a parallel “#FNLEV” [“Fridtjof Nansen Land Is Ours!”] movement centered on seizing Franz Josef Land from Russia, with hopes that this will improve his and his party’s declining polling numbers.
Prior to the bombing of Nagurskoye, the tensest moment in the Russo-Norwegian Franz Josef Land dispute occurred in June, when the Norwegian ice breaker the Svalbard circumnavigated the archipelago despite Moscow’s demands that the vessel leave the waters of Russia’s exclusive economic zone.
Red Party split
The Red Youth has officially severed ties with its mother party, the Red Party, following the Norwegian attack on Nagurskoye. This split followed an extended period of growing hostility between the two organizations, and the previous splinterings of the International Socialists and Peace & Justice Party from the Red Party in the past two years.
—“The Red Party’s support for Norwegian militarization enabled the gruesome attack that took the lives of 68 people last night. Martinussen [Red Party leader] cannot censure Støre’s actions without acknowledging her own role in enabling them,” an official Facebook post from the Red Youth’s leadership reads.
—“The Red Party has abandoned all its socialist principles to become another party of small business. The Red Youth accordingly hereby severs all ties to the Red Party: we will continue operations as an independent organization in the tradition of revolutionary socialism,” the post continues.
The Red Youth also organized immediate protests against the attacks across Norway, particularly protests outside the Prime Minister’s office in Oslo, and outside parliament.
Anti-Norwegian song tops charts
Russian president Vladimir Putin’s favorite band, Lyube, released a new single titled “Malvinas” on their official YouTube channel within one day of Norway’s attack on Nagurskoye. The song became an instant hit in Russia, with lyrics drawing parallels between the incumbent Norwegian government and the Argentinian military junta of 1976-1983, whose invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982 triggered a brief war with the UK.
The lyrics to “Malvinas” also claim that Russia will “flatten” Norway, among other violent messages implying a total destruction of Norway’s population. Users on social media have raised concerns that the song may have been released to drum up support for a Russian war with Norway, at a time when the USA seems to be gearing up for a war with Denmark over Greenland.
According to Jakob Fritzbergen, professor of international relations at the University of Oslo, the recent tensions around Greenland, Svalbard, and Franz Josef Land in the Arctic are related to control over international maritime shipping routes which are becoming more viable due to melting ice caps, and control over potentially large reserves of oil, gas, and other natural resources.
now THIS is fakenewsposting