1 year ago
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Russia has issued warnings to both seafarers and pilots to stay away from waters close to the coast between Pechenga fjord and Grense Jakobselv. At the nearest, the area announced for live shootings is only three to four nautical miles from Norwegian territorial waters and about five nautical miles from the shores where the Russian-Norwegian land border meets the Varanger fjord.
The Notice to Airmen notes airspace closure from early morning June 1 to 15.00 on June 2.
A coastal warning (PRIP) issued by Murmansk Sea Port Administration bans navigation in the area for the same period.
Map by Barents Observer / Google map
It is unclear if the shooting will come from shore or by warships sailing in the area. The Sredny Peninsula is a well-known training area for coastal forces of the Northern Fleet. Pechenga is home to both the 200. Motorized Rifle Brigade and the 61. Naval Infantry Brigade.
Two of the larger warships from Severomorsk left port before the weekend for what the Northern Fleet says is “planned combat training.”
“Vice Admiral Kulakov” and “Admiral Levchenko” will train anti-submarine warfare together with both nuclear- and diesel-powered subs, a note from the navy reads.
Additional to the warning zone a stone’s throw from Norway’s shoreline, two larger areas next to the maritime border are this week closed for air traffic because of Russia’s military activity. One area is just east of the Fishermen Peninsula while the other follows the maritime border in the Barents Sea.
The map shows active Notice to Airmen for the Kola Peninsula and Barents Sea for the week ahead. Source: NotamMap.net
In February 2021, the Northern Fleet’s missile cruiser “Marshal Ustinov” sailed very close to Norway’s border outside Grense Jakobselv. Two months later, artillery shooting was announced for the same area west of the Sredny Peninsula in the Varanger fjord.
