
The
border
Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...
between
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
and
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
consists of a land border between
Sør-Varanger Municipality
Sør-Varanger (; ; ) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Finnmark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kirkenes. Other settlements in the municipality include the vill ...
, Norway, and
Pechengsky District
Pechengsky District (; ; ; ; ) is an administrative district (raion), one of the six in Murmansk Oblast, Russia.Law #96-01-ZMO As a municipal division, it is incorporated as Pechengsky Municipal District.Law #539-01-ZMO It is located in the north ...
, Russia, and a marine border in the
Varangerfjord
The Varangerfjord (; ; ; ) is the easternmost fjord in Norway, north of Finland. The fjord is located in Finnmark county between the Varanger Peninsula and the mainland of Norway.
Extents
The fjord flows through the municipalities of Vardø ...
. It further consists of a border between the two countries'
exclusive economic zone
An exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is an area of the sea in which a sovereign state has exclusive rights regarding the exploration and use of marine natural resource, reso ...
s (EEZ) in the
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea ( , also ; , ; ) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territorial waters.World Wildlife Fund, 2008. It was known earlier among Russi ...
and the
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceanic divisions. It spans an area of approximately and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, ...
. Between 1944 and 1991 the border was between Norway and the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. There is a single
border crossing
Border control comprises measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it als ...
, on
E105, located at
Storskog in Norway and
Borisoglebsky in Russia. The Norwegian side is patrolled by the
Garrison of Sør-Varanger and is under the jurisdiction of the
Norwegian Border Commissioner, while the Russian side is patrolled by the
Border Guard Service of Russia. Two-thirds of the border follows two rivers, the
Pasvikelva and
Jakobselva.

The border was defined as a
march
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...
in
a treaty in 1326 and separated which parts of the
Sami
Acronyms
* SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft
* Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company
* South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ne ...
could be taxed by Norway and Russia. The border line was defined by a treaty in 1826 and essentially remains the same border today. In 1920
Petsamo was ceded to
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
and the border became part of the
Finland–Norway border
Norway and Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf o ...
. Petsamo was ceded to the Soviet Union in 1944 and the Norway–Soviet Union border was established. During the
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
, the border was one of two between the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermat ...
(NATO) and the Soviet Union, the other being the Soviet Union's border with Turkey. From 1991 to 1999 it was the only border between Russia and NATO. It is Norway's youngest unchanged border. Since the 1960s there has been disagreement as to the border between the two countries' EEZs, but this was resolved by a
delimitation
Electoral boundary delimitation (or simply boundary delimitation or delimitation) is the drawing of boundaries of electoral precincts and related divisions involved in elections, such as Federated state, states, counties or other municipalities ...
agreement in 2010.
History
Open border
From the 11th century
Olaf III of Norway
Olaf III or Olaf Haraldsson (Old Norse: ''Óláfr Haraldsson'', Norwegian: ''Olav Haraldsson''; – 22 September 1093), known as Olaf the Peaceful (Old Norse: ''Óláfr kyrri'', Norwegian: ''Olav Kyrre''), was King of Norway from 1067 until hi ...
regarded the borders of Norway as reaching to the
White Sea
The White Sea (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; ) is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the nort ...
. The first Norwegians started moving to Finnmark in the 13th century.
Vardøhus Fortress
Vardøhus Fortress (), called "Wardhouse" in English historical navigations, is located in Vardø Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the town of Vardø (town), Vardø on the island of Vardøya on the Barents Sea near the mo ...
was erected by Norway in 1300 further east than today's land border, supporting Norwegian land ownership on the
Varanger Peninsula. There were no permanent Norwegian settlements on the
Kola Peninsula
The Kola Peninsula (; ) is a peninsula in the extreme northwest of Russia, and one of the largest peninsulas of Europe. Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast, it lies almost completely inside the Arctic Circle and is border ...
. In 1326 Norway and the
Novgorod Republic
The Novgorod Republic () was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries in northern Russia, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east. Its capital was the city of Novgorod. The ...
signed an agreement regarding taxation of the Kola Peninsula and Finnmark.
No border line was drawn, creating a
marchland where both countries held the right to taxation of the
Sami
Acronyms
* SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft
* Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company
* South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ne ...
.
[Johanson (1999): 15] Religiously motivated Russian colonization of the jointly taxed areas started in the 16th century, and Russian-Orthodox chapels were built at
Neiden,
Pechenga and
Boris Gleb. This accelerated the need for a specific border line. In 1582 Russian Tsar
Ivan the Terrible
Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow, Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar of all Russia, Tsar and Grand Prince of all R ...
declared the
Kola Bay
Kola Bay () or Murmansk Fjord is a 57-km-long fjord of the Barents Sea that cuts into the northern part of the Kola Peninsula. It is up to 7 km wide and has a depth of 200 to 300 metres. The Tuloma, Rosta and Kola Rivers discharge into ...
part of Russia, later specifying that Russia claimed all of
Lapland.
He further proposed that a new border line be drawn up.
Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway (Danish language, Danish and Norwegian language, Norwegian: ) is a term for the 16th-to-19th-century multi-national and multi-lingual real unionFeldbæk 1998:11 consisting of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Norway (includ ...
's King
Frederick II responded by renewing the Norwegian claim to all land to the White Sea. His successor
Christian IV
Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history.
A member of the H ...
traveled along the Finnmark coast in 1599 to increase the weight of the claims. As part of the
Treaty of Knäred
The Treaty of Knäred (, ) was signed on 21 January 1613 and ended the Kalmar War (1611–1613) between Denmark-Norway and Sweden. The peace negotiations came about under an English initiative. The peace was guaranteed by King James I of Engla ...
in 1613, Sweden abandoned all claims in Finnmark.
The Dano-Norwegian government took the initiative to establish a border line in 1789. Russian authorities agreed, but because of the
Russo-Turkish War
The Russo-Turkish wars ( ), or the Russo-Ottoman wars (), began in 1568 and continued intermittently until 1918. They consisted of twelve conflicts in total, making them one of the longest series of wars in the history of Europe. All but four of ...
no work was undertaken. New Dano-Norwegian requests were raised in 1793, 1797, and 1809, without action from their Russian counterpart. Norway
joined a union with Sweden in 1814 and two years later King
Carl John again tried to start negotiations, without success. In 1825, however, a common Norwegian and Russian commission was established to draw a border line, resulting in a report and a map which was approved by both countries' authorities. The treaty was signed in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
on 14 May 1826, and the following summer border poles were laid along the border. The
thalweg
In geography, hydrography, and fluvial geomorphology, a thalweg or talweg () is the line or curve of lowest elevation within a valley or watercourse. Normally only the horizontal position of the curve is considered (as viewed on a map); the c ...
principle was followed in the Jakobselva and Pasvikelva Rivers. Along the land borders the
boundary marker
A boundary marker, border marker, boundary stone, or border stone is a robust physical marker that identifies the start of a land Border, boundary or the change in a boundary, especially a change in direction of a boundary. There are several ...
s were laid at a distance of 6
alen or 5
arshin ().
The border remains Norway's youngest unchanged border and Russia's oldest.
The border was reviewed in 1846; a
cairn
A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ).
Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...
was constructed at
Muotkavaara
, ;, or , , or ) is a hill in Sápmi, Lapland at the boundary between Finland, Norway, and Russia. It is the second northernmost international tripoint in the world; the Three-Country Cairn, tripoint of Finland, Norway and Sweden is further to ...
, and the land border from the sea to
Golmmešoaivi was cleared. The marker at the mouth of the Jakobselva was gone and had to be rebuilt, while several others had to be repaired. It was agreed that there would be a review every twenty-five years, which was formalized through a declaration the following year. Some markers were repaired in 1857, and new reviews were carried out in 1871 and 1896. In the latter year the width of the cleared area increased to . Maps were created for the entire border line in 1:42,000 scale, and in 1:8400 scale for the area immediately surrounding each marker. A partial review was carried out between Neiden and the
Tana River in 1912.
Up until the 1940s the border had been open, without border controls; farmers at
Grense Jakobselv, for instance, did not need to worry about whether or not their cattle were on the correct side of the border.
[Johanson (1999): 17]
During the late 19th century customs checkpoints were established at
Elvenes and Grense Jakobselv. Norwegian authorities gave permission for
customs
Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...
-free transit of wares along Pasvikelva. There was a limited amount of trans-border trade, and import for personal use under certain volumes was customs-free. This was accelerated by significantly lower prices in Russia compared to Norway. From 1902 to 1917 the border crossing was used to
smuggle
Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...
revolutionary Russian literature into Russia. The material was printed at
Finnmarken's printing press in
Vadsø Vadsø or Vadso may refer to:
Places
* Vadsø Municipality, a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway
*Vadsø (town)
(Norwegian language, Norwegian; ), (Northern Sami language, Northern Sami; , or is a List of towns and cities in Norway, tow ...
and smuggled over the border by boat. During
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
six soldiers were stationed at Nyborgmoen in
Nesseby Municipality
or (also unofficially ''Uuniemi'' in Kven language, Kven and Finnish language, Finnish) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Finnmark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the vi ...
as "neutrality guards". This was gradually increased so that by 1918 there were 93 soldiers stationed in Sør-Varanger to guard the border.

Finland declared its independence from Russia following the October Revolution, which was followed up with the 1920
Treaty of Tartu, which ceded Petsamo to Finland, thus giving Finland access to the Barents Sea. This resulted in Norway and the Soviet Union no longer having a common border. The planned 1921 review was not carried out. A treaty regarding the border was signed between Finland and Norway on 28 April 1924, replacing the 1826 treaty, but not changing the border line. A review was carried out in 1925. The border line at the mouth of the Jakobselva was revised on 12 September 1931, and new markers were placed in June 1939.
When Finland owned the Petsamo area there was a car ferry over the river between
Svanvik–
Salmijärvi which was the main border crossing.
Closing the border (1940s)
The
Moscow Armistice
The Moscow Armistice was signed between Finland on one side and the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on the other side on 19 September 1944, ending the Continuation War. The Armistice restored the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940, with a number of modi ...
of 1944 and the
Paris Peace Treaties, 1947
The Paris Peace Treaties () were signed on 10 February 1947 following the end of World War II in 1945. The Paris Peace Conference lasted from 29 July until 15 October 1946. The victorious wartime Allied powers (principally the United Kingdom, ...
ceded Petsamo and other Finnish areas to the USSR.
During
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...
, the Axis invasion of the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, northern Norway served as the staging area for the
German attack on Murmansk. The Soviet Union made an excursion over the border in 1944 in the
Petsamo–Kirkenes Offensive
The Petsamo–Kirkenes offensive was a major military offensive during World War II, mounted by the Red Army against the ''Wehrmacht'' in 1944 in the Petsamo region, ceded to the Soviet Union by Finland in accordance with the Moscow Armist ...
which aimed to extinguish the
German military forces in the area. Soviet forces took the town of
Kirkenes
(Norwegian language, Norwegian; ), (Northern Sami language, Northern Sami; , or is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark county, in the far northeastern part of Norway. The town lies on a peninsu ...
, which had been evacuated by the Germans who used
scorched earth
A scorched-earth policy is a military strategy of destroying everything that allows an enemy military force to be able to fight a war, including the deprivation and destruction of water, food, humans, animals, plants and any kind of tools and i ...
tactics, on 24 October 1944. Soviet troops continued west to
Tana Municipality
or is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tana bru. Among the other villages in the municipality are Austertana, Bonakas, Polmak, Rustefjelbma, and Skiippagurra.
The m ...
, but withdrew in September 1945.
The ceding of Petsamo from Finland to the Soviet Union had no effect on the border, as the Soviet Union by default inherits the old border line. A common commission was created to the review the border, with negotiations taking place from 1 to 16 August 1946. The field review took place between 1 July and 4 September 1947.
Norway initially proposed using cairns to mark the border, but the Soviet Union wanted to use the same method as along its other borders, with wooden markers, each from the border line. There was to be a free line of sight from each pair of markers to the next. The idea initially met resistance from Norwegian authorities of cost reasons, but they soon agreed on the principle to reduce unintentional border crossings. Markers in soil were dug down and markers on bedrock were fastened with four bolts. Border checkpoints were established at
Skafferhullet
Skafferhullet is a historical border crossing point along the Norway–Russia border (formerly it was on the Finland–Norway border and Soviet–Norway border). The border crossing site was located on the old road between Elvenes, Finnmark, Elven ...
and
Boris Gleb. Geodesic measurements were undertaken to establish the border in accordance with the
Bessel ellipsoid. The entire border area was mapped in 1:20,000.
The Soviet authorities made proposals to change the border. The first was an equal exchange of land at Skoltefoss, but this was rejected by the Norwegian authorities as the proposed ceding was valuable for
hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
. At Grensefoss Norway owned land on both sides of the border, but there was no interest by the Norwegian authorities to change the border as they wanted it to remain the same as from 1826. The border along Klistervatn and Fossevatn was set based on the maps from 1896.
At the mouth of Jakobselva the maps from 1896 were of poor quality in combination with the
thalweg
In geography, hydrography, and fluvial geomorphology, a thalweg or talweg () is the line or curve of lowest elevation within a valley or watercourse. Normally only the horizontal position of the curve is considered (as viewed on a map); the c ...
having shifted since 1896. The thalweg line would create problems for the settlement at Grense Jakobselv, as they no longer would be able to use their harbor or have free access to the sea.
[Johanson (1999): 22] The countries therefore agreed on a new line based on a Norwegian proposal, in exchange for the Soviet Union receiving three islets, including Kistholmen and Brennholmen, in the Pasvik River.
The marine border within the
territorial waters
Territorial waters are informally an area of water where a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potentially the extended continental shelf ( ...
was established by a protocol signed on 15 February 1957. It was marked with two lead markers and originally stretched .
Cold War

During the Soviet era the border was guarded by
Soviet border troops
The Soviet Border Troops () were the border guard of the Soviet Union, subordinated to the Soviet state security agency: first to the ''Cheka''/State Political Directorate, OGPU, then to NKVD/Ministry for State Security (USSR), MGB and, final ...
. The border was one of the two land borders between NATO and the Soviet Union, the other being the Soviet Union–Turkey border. This ensured that Russia–Norway border relations were a relevant matter for other NATO allies.
[Nynamar (2004): 241–242] During the
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
, the Soviet Union was considered Norway's main enemy and Norway maintained a large military presence on the border. Norwegian government plans for the defense of
Finnmark
Finnmark (; ; ; ; ) is a counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. By land, it borders Troms county to the west, Finland's Lapland (Finland), Lapland region to the south, and Russia's Murmansk Oblast to the east, and by water, the Norweg ...
against the Soviet Union during the Cold War were based on using
scorched earth
A scorched-earth policy is a military strategy of destroying everything that allows an enemy military force to be able to fight a war, including the deprivation and destruction of water, food, humans, animals, plants and any kind of tools and i ...
tactics in the event of the Soviets crossing the border. The whole county of Finnmark was regarded by NATO as a
buffer zone
A buffer zone, also historically known as a march, is a neutral area that lies between two or more bodies of land; usually, between countries. Depending on the type of buffer zone, it may serve to separate regions or conjoin them.
Common types o ...
.
Norwegian military leaders regarded the population in the county as potentially unreliable, and did not trust that they would be willing to defend their country against intruders, on account of the county's special ethnic and political composition, specifically Sami people and a higher number of communist sympathizers than elsewhere.
On the Norwegian side the border was from 1948 to 1950 patrolled by the
National Mobile Police Service. From 1950 the responsibility was transferred to Sør-Varanger Police District, who received 25 officers from around the country. From 15 July 1955 the responsibility was taken over by the Norwegian Border Commission, who had nine outpost sergeants and 42 officers. This was terminated on 29 December 1958, when the responsibility was transferred to the
Norwegian Army
The Norwegian Army () is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway in 1628. The ...
, who created the
Garrison of Sør-Varanger.
Initially all meetings between the Norwegian and Soviet commissioners and their staff was held at the Storskog–Boris Gleb crossing. The Soviets quickly bought a small cabin to host meetings. If the meeting was initiated by the Soviets, it was held in the premises, while it was held outdoors if initiated by the Norwegians, unless circumstances dictated that it had to be held indoors. This caused the Norwegian authorities to build a conference room on their side of the border, which opened in 1956. Initially meetings between the two commissioners would be called by hoisting a flag or red lamp at the border, and the other country's soldiers would alert the commissioner, who would meet within two hours. Later a telephone connection was installed and the parties agreed on two hours each week day that they were to be available along with an interpreter. Initially the Soviet commissioner was based in
Salmijärvi, but later moved to
Nikel.
[Johanson (1999): 44]
The area on both sides of the river saw an increased industrialization, especially
Sydvaranger in Norway and Pechenganikel (now, part of
MMC Norilsk Nickel) in Russia. This raised the question of utilizing Pasvikelven for hydroelectricity. An agreement was signed in 1957 which would result in the construction of four power stations, the
Paatsjoki River Hydroelectric Plants, of which two were owned by each of the countries. All four were built by Norwegian contractors and as the sites were all built on both sides of the border, they required increased flexibility of border crossing procedures. This was further complicated by the workers not having a sense of the border being closed and frequent, innocent transgressions of the border protocols. The power plants opened between 1963 and 1978. Up until the power plants opened the river had been used for
log driving
Log driving is a means of moving logs (sawn tree trunks) from a forest to sawmills and pulp mills downstream using the current of a river. It was the main transportation method of the early logging industry in Europe and North America.
History ...
from Finland to the sawmill at
Elvenes, which was permitted according to the border treaty.
There have been a limited number of illegal crossings of the border. For instance an American in 1947 and a West German in 1964 both received a few weeks in detention and smaller fines. During the summer of 1965 a trial was made whereby Norwegians could visit Boris Gleb without a
visa.
This was organized by the creation of a separate border checkpoint at
Skafferhullet
Skafferhullet is a historical border crossing point along the Norway–Russia border (formerly it was on the Finland–Norway border and Soviet–Norway border). The border crossing site was located on the old road between Elvenes, Finnmark, Elven ...
.
[Johanson (1999): 24] Although this was intended only for the local population, the 27-year-old American tourist Newcomb Mott chose to cross the border illegally and when he arrived at the border control, he was apprehended. He was tried and sentenced to one and a half years in a labor camp, but was later found dead on a train. This, combined with "
vodka
Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...
traffic" the visa-free crossing created and concerns of recruitment of Soviet spies, made Norwegian authorities terminate the Skafferhullet crossing and the visa-free project later that year.
A
Soviet border provocation on 7 June 1968, together with the
invasion of Czechoslovakia that year and a general increase in Soviet military activity on the Norwegian border, contributed to a large increase in the funding for the Norwegian military presence on the border.
Yet the Russia–Norway border is the only one of Russia's borders where an open war between the two bordering countries has not taken place. (there was a war between the Soviet Union and German controlled Norway which much affected this area)
Proposals for conservation of the Norwegian part of Pasvikdalen was first launched by
Carl Schøyen in 1936. An area of was preserved in 1951 and
Øvre Pasvik National Park
Øvre Pasvik National Park (, , ) is located in the southeastern part of the Pasvikdalen valley in southern Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. Covering an area of , the national park is dominated by Siberian-like taiga consis ...
was created in 1970, with a slightly smaller area. The park was expanded to in 2003. On 7 December 1971 the two countries signed a protocol regarding protection of the fisheries in Jakobselven and Pasvikelven.
[Johanson (1999): 27] In the late 1970s Norway, inspired by Finland, considered replacing the wooden poles with
fibreglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass c ...
as this would make them more durable and reduce maintenance. Two poles were replaced in 1979 and remained at the turn of the millennium. However, the authorities concluded that wooden poles were more suitable and more durable in relation to human contact, as Norway, unlike Russia and Finland, allows people to travel up to the border.
[Johanson (1999): 25] In 1989 there were 2,000 border crossings.
[Johanson (1999): 50]
Increased traffic
The
dissolution of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...
in 1991 caused the Norway–Soviet Union border to become the Norway–Russia border. This resulted in a more liberal border crossing policy, which saw the number of crossings increase to 80,000 by 1992. For Norwegian authorities this meant that police and customs authorities would have to be regularly stationed at the border.
A large amount of the initial traffic was from Russians who sold crafts and souvenirs at markets and fairs throughout Finnmark. From 1992 Norwegian authorities introduced limitations on the activity, resulting in a reduction in trans-border traffic. However, by 1998 the traffic had nearly hit 100,000.
From 1991 to 1999 (Poland joining NATO), Norway was the only NATO country to share a land border with Russia. This caused a decrease in allied interest in Norway's border issue, leaving Norway more to itself in managing the relationship.
Cooperation concerning conservation of nature started in 1990. It was initially a Norwegian proposal to protect the important bird area and lake of
Fjærvann, and resulted in a joint Norwegian and Russian
Pasvik Nature Reserve. The Russian part was formally established in 1992 and the Norwegian part the following year.
In 2003 a new border station was opened at Borisoglebsk, financed by the
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( Norwegian or ''Utenriksdepartementet''; or ''Utanriksdepartementet''; UD) is the foreign ministry of the Kingdom of Norway. It was established on June 7, 1905, the same day the Parliament of ...
. Norway and Russia signed a protocol on 11 July 2007 which established the border through the Varangerfjord out from land. In 2011 the two countries agreed to replace the wooden markers with poles made of composite materials. This was to reduce the need for maintenance, as the new markers are expected to have a life span up to fifty years, compared to five to ten years for wooden poles. This took place at the same time as a review of the border and creation of new maps along a wide corridor on both sides of the border line. New maps were completed in 2012.
Work started in 2011 on the Russian side and 2014 on the Norwegian side of the border to upgrade the
E105 highway. It was completed in 2017 with a new tunnel and bridge on the Norway side of the border. The driving time between Kirkenes and Murmansk, the regional capital on the Russian side, is now about three hours unless there are delays at the border. The border station at Storskog was upgraded for increased capacity with completion in April 2012.
Residents of Sør-Varanger and parts of Pechengsky District can from 29 May 2012 visit the other country without a visa (but they need a permit, a kind of multi-travel visa), on the condition that they do not travel outside a zone from the border.
On 29 April 2022, due to the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
, Norway closed its border to Russian freight. However, Russian fishing vessels are exempt from the sanctions.
Delimitation agreement

Negotiations on the outside marine border were initiated in 1970. Norway claimed, in accordance with the
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty, is an international treaty that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. , 169 sov ...
Article 15 and the
Convention on the High Seas
The Convention on the High Seas is an international treaty which codifies the rules of international law relating to the high seas, otherwise known as international waters. The convention was one of four treaties created at the United Nations C ...
, that the border should follow the
equidistance principle
The equidistance principle, or principle of equidistance, is a legal concept in maritime boundary claims that a nation's maritime boundaries should conform to a median line that is equidistant from the shores of neighboring nations. The concept ...
, the border being defined by midpoints between the nearest land area or islands, as is normal practice internationally. The Soviet Union claimed, based on a decision by
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
from 1926, which was not recognized by any other country than the Soviet Union, that a "
sector principle" should apply, such that the border should follow
meridian lines. Most of the disputed area was within what would normally be considered Norwegian according to the relevant international treaties. In 1975 the two countries agreed upon a
moratorium prohibiting exploration for oil and gas in the disputed area.
In 1978 a temporary agreement regulating
fishery
Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life or, more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a., fishing grounds). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish far ...
in a zone, named The Grey Zone in some documents from the same period, was signed, which has since been renewed annually.
From the Norwegian side, the agreement was negotiated by
Labour Party politician
Jens Evensen and his protégé
Arne Treholt, who was later exposed as a Soviet spy and convicted of
high treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...
. The agreement was highly controversial in Norway. Many Norwegians believed that Evensen and Treholt gave too many concessions to the Soviet Union, and that they were motivated by Soviet sympathies. The agreement caused consternation in parliament and government, and Evensen had difficulty receiving acceptance from
his own government, where many held the opinion that he had exceeded his authority. The opposition criticized him for having accepted less than Norway's rightful claim. Treholt, who was then serving a twenty-year sentence, admitted in 1990 that he had acted as an informer for the Soviet negotiators. The arrest and conviction of Treholt in 1984 and 1985 had a devastating effect on Evensen, who withdrew completely from public life in Norway. In 1989, Evensen compared Treholt to
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (; ; 18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945) was a Norwegian military officer, politician and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, Nazi collaborator who Quisling regime, headed the government of N ...
.

During a meeting in
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
on 27 April 2010,
President of Russia
The president of Russia, officially the president of the Russian Federation (), is the executive head of state of Russia. The president is the chair of the State Council (Russia), Federal State Council and the President of Russia#Commander-in-ch ...
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...
and
Prime Minister of Norway
The prime minister of Norway (, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet of Norway, Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government departme ...
Jens Stoltenberg
Jens Stoltenberg (; born 16 March 1959) is a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party. Since 2025, he has been the Minister of Finance in the Støre Cabinet. He has previously been the prime minister of Norway and secretary general of NATO.
...
announced that the territorial dispute in the Barents Sea was settled. The agreement is a compromise which divides a disputed area of around into two approximately equally sized parts.
[ The agreement was signed on 15 September 2010 in ]Murmansk
Murmansk () is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast in the far Far North (Russia), northwest part of Russia. It is the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle and sits on both slopes and banks of a modest fjord, Ko ...
by Medvedev and Stoltenberg.[Law on ratification of treaty between Russia and Norway on maritime delimitation](_blank)
Kremlin.ru The Parliament of Norway
The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...
unanimously approved the treaty on 8 February 2011. The debate lasted only an hour, and all representatives of Norwegian political parties praised the agreement. On 30 March, Russia's State Duma
The State Duma is the lower house of the Federal Assembly (Russia), Federal Assembly of Russia, with the upper house being the Federation Council (Russia), Federation Council. It was established by the Constitution of Russia, Constitution of t ...
also voted in support of ratification, despite strong opposition from Communist Party representatives. Medvedev signed a law ratifying the treaty on 8 April 2011. The law was titled ''Federal Law on Ratification of the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Norway on Maritime Delimitation and Cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean''. After ratification by both countries, there was a 30-day waiting period before it came into force. The treaty entered force on 7 July 2011, ending the 44-year-old border dispute.
The treaty stipulates conditions for fishing cooperation, providing for the retention of the mechanism to jointly regulate fishing in the Barents Sea. The treaty also defines the principles of cooperation in hydrocarbons deposits exploration. A deposit which is crossed by the maritime border may only be exploited as a whole subject to a bilateral agreement. The border treaty is economically significant, as it makes possible to conduct geological surveys and hydrocarbons drilling in the formerly disputed area, which is estimated to contain up to 6.8 billion tons of oil and gas. The area is located west of Shtokman, one of the world's largest natural gas fields. According to Anatoly Zolotukhin, vice president of World Petroleum Council
WPC Energy is a non-advocacy, non-political organisation with charitable status in the U.K. and has accreditation as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) from the United Nations. WPC Energy facilitates an open dialogue around oil, gas, energy a ...
, it is "a very prolific area—maybe even more prolific than Shtokman". The Norwegian company Petroleum Geo-Services has been contracted to begin surveying the Norwegian part of the area in 2011. Seismic acquisition in Norway's new maritime zone started on 8 July 2011, and is scheduled to be completed in summer 2012.
In 2022, Vyacheslav Volodin, the leader of the Russian State Duma, stated that Russia should reconsider the agreement due to Norway hindering food supplies to Russian settlements in Svalbard
Svalbard ( , ), previously known as Spitsbergen or Spitzbergen, is a Norway, Norwegian archipelago that lies at the convergence of the Arctic Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean. North of continental Europe, mainland Europe, it lies about midway be ...
.
European migrant crisis
In 2015 an Arctic route through the Storskog border crossing
Border control comprises measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it als ...
was established by migrants to the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
/European Economic Area
The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Asso ...
. The Arctic route involves fewer border crossings and avoids any dangerous sea crossings. Migrants began to cross the border riding bicycles, as pedestrians are not allowed in the Russian border area, and public transport operators and private car drivers are heavily penalised for transporting passengers who lack official documentation. Between August and October 2015 the number of migrants transiting through Storskog doubled every week.
The loophole was closed in January 2016, when juxtaposed controls were introduced, and a border barrier was erected. An estimated 5,500 to 10,800 migrants, mostly from Syria, crossed the border riding bicycles.
Russian-Ukrainian War
Geography
The river of Pasvikelva is long and runs through the valley of Pasvikdalen. The river drains Finland's Lake Inari
Lake Inari (, , , , , ) is the largest lake in Sápmi and the third-largest lake in Finland. It is located in the northern part of Lapland, north of the Arctic Circle. The lake is above sea level, and is regulated at the Kaitakoski power plan ...
and empties into Varangerfjord at Elvenes. After a very short section in Finland, the river runs through Russia before reaching the Norway–Russia border, after which is acts as a border river for . Prior to being dammed the river consisted of nine lakes and fifteen waterfalls. It was originally possible to travel the entire length of the river by boat, but the current seven dams make it difficult as boats must be carried past the dams. The river falls and the entire high difference is regulated and used for hydroelectricity. Finland receives compensation for the impact on Lake Inari, which is regulated for level difference of .
Control
Both countries have appointed a border commissioner to uphold the border treaty and its protocols. The Norwegian Border Commissioner is based in Kirkenes
(Norwegian language, Norwegian; ), (Northern Sami language, Northern Sami; , or is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark county, in the far northeastern part of Norway. The town lies on a peninsu ...
and is subordinate to the National Police Directorate. The Russian commissioner is based in Nikel. Norwegian border patrolling is undertaken by the Garrison of Sør-Varanger, which largely bases itself on use of conscripts. In Russia border patrolling is carried out by the Border Guard Service of Russia and the Federal Security Service
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation �СБ, ФСБ России (FSB) is the principal security agency of Russia and the main successor agency to the Soviet Union's KGB; its immediate predecessor was the Federal Counterin ...
. The EEZs are patrolled by the Norwegian Coast Guard and the Russian FSB Coast Guard, respectively.
The border is marked with 415 border markers, consisting of 387 pairs of poles, 25 cairns, two lead markers and one stake. The three-country cairn is unnumbered, while the remaining markers are numbered from 1 through 415 starting at the Finnish border. Each of the pairs of poles are both located from the border, unless the border runs through water. The Norwegian markers are yellow with a tall black top—this was chosen because it would be most visible in all types of weather and lighting. The Russian markers have a pattern of alternating red and green, each tall. The red was chosen to symbolize the Flag of the Soviet Union
The State Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also simply known as the Soviet flag or the Red Banner, was a Red flag (politics), red flag with two Communist symbolism, communist symbols displayed in the Canton (flag), canton: a gold ...
, while the green symbolized the color of the border guards' uniforms. Both poles have the respective country's coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
on the side facing the border. While originally made of wood, the border markers are now made of composite materials.
Each country has the responsibility for maintenance of its boundary markers and keeping the clear-cut zone. Most of the maintenance is undertaken during the summer. In August each year there is a common inspection of the entire border. The practical responsibility alternates between the two countries each year. It is carried out by three groups, each which cover a third of the border. Each group consists of two Norwegians and two Russians and the inspection takes two to three days. Afterwards there is a common debriefing.
On the Norwegian side there are no physical hindrances on the border and it is permitted to move all the way to the border itself, except for Storskog, Skafferhullet, and some hydro power stations, where there are fences where roads reach the border. On the Russian side there is a fence located anywhere between from the border. Although not electrified, it has sensors which will notify the border controllers if touched. The fence stretches the entire distance between the Barents Sea and the Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland (; ; ; ) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and Estonia to the south, to Saint Petersburg—the second largest city of Russia—to the east, where the river Neva drains into it. ...
and was built during the Cold War to keep in the population of the Soviet Union. It remains the only barbed-wire fence along a Russian border in Europe. Within lies the Border Security Zone which civilians are not permitted access to. Photography from one country into the other is only permitted if the pictures do not include military personnel and installations, that tripod
A tripod is a portable three-legged frame or stand, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. The three-legged (triangular stance) design provides good stability against gravitational loads ...
s are not used and not using longer than 200 mm lenses
A lens is a transmissive optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...
.[Johanson (1999): 37]
Norwegian border police issued an announcement in 2016 that it is forbidden to cross the border on land, water and in air, including at border markers (except with permission or at the border station), or to have contact with people across the border or throw things over the border. This is already written in the law.
Crossing
There is one legal border crossing point, with stations on both sides, at Storskog in Norway and Borisoglebsky in Russia, located on the E105 highway some 15 km east of Kirkenes. Crossing time at both stations is unpredictable and depends on the amount of traffic. Immigration control at Storskog is carried out by Eastern Finnmark Police District, while customs are carried out by the Norwegian Customs and Excise Authorities. The Norwegian Border Commissioner also has representatives at the checkpoint. It is the only one of Norway's land border crossings which does not border the Schengen Area
The Schengen Area ( , ) encompasses European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders. As an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) policy of the European Union (EU), it ...
and thus the only one manned by the police.
The Border Guard Service of Russia operates the border crossing at Borisoglebsky. It consists of a customs area and a border control area, both with independent checks. Once past Borisoglebsky travelers enter the Border Security Zone, a twenty-minute transit-only area. The road is located outside the barbed-wire fence which stretches along Russia's entire Norway and Finland border. Upon reaching the end of the transit zone there is another checkpoint at which there is performed a check of passports. Previously there was also another checkpoint located at Titovka, between Nikel and Murmansk. There are more border checkpoints today than during the Cold War.
Since 29 September 2017, a new bridge has been opened passing the Pasvik river, with the Storskog-Borisoglebsk customs stations still handling the travels between the two countries.
As of 2010 there were 140,855 border crossings, of which 19,000 were by Norwegians and the rest by Russians. There are five main motivations for trans-border traffic: shopping in border towns, business, vacation and leisure, visiting friends and relatives, and transfer to other destinations via Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen. Russian residents of Murmansk Oblast, Arkhangelsk Oblast
Arkhangelsk Oblast ( rus, Архангельская область, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲskəjə ˈobɫəsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It includes the Arctic Ocean, Arctic archipelagos of Franz ...
and Nenets Autonomous Okrug
The Nenets Autonomous Okrug (; ) also known as Nenetsia ( ) is a federal subject of Russia and an autonomous okrug of Arkhangelsk Oblast. Its administrative center is the town of Naryan-Mar. It has an area of and a population of 42,090 ...
can obtain Pomor visas, a multi-entry Schengen visa, without an invitation. In 2010, the Russian Consulate General in Kirkenes issued 8,000 visas to Norwegians.
There is a special (almost) visa-free arrangement for a designated area of between surrounding the border, based on a clause in the Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement ( , ) is a treaty which led to the creation of Europe's Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished. It was signed on 14 June 1985, near the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, by five of the t ...
. It is only available for residents of the zone for the past three years and requires that a special ID-card be acquired from the consulate of the country to visit (a kind of multiple-journey visa). Stay is limited to 15 days. Towns within the area include Kirkenes
(Norwegian language, Norwegian; ), (Northern Sami language, Northern Sami; , or is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark county, in the far northeastern part of Norway. The town lies on a peninsu ...
in Norway and Nikel, Pechenga and Zapolyarny in Russia. 9,000 Norwegians and 45,000 Russians are eligible for this arrangement. After a similar agreement on border between Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
and Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast () is the westernmost federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of the Russian Federation. It is a Enclave and exclave, semi-exclave on the Baltic Sea within the Baltic region of Prussia (region), Prussia, surrounded by Pola ...
it is the second time such a visa-free border agreement has been made between Russia and part of the Schengen Area
The Schengen Area ( , ) encompasses European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders. As an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) policy of the European Union (EU), it ...
. The distance 30 km is calculated as straight distances on the map, so local Norwegians can visit Zapolyarny which is the largest city in the border area, located 11 km (7 mi) from the border, but 50 km (31 mi) from the border station by road.
There are more roads which cross the border and connect to the road network of both countries. They are not open to public. These are the two Paatsjoki river hydroelectric plants: Hevoskoski and Skogfoss. Also the historic border crossing at Skafferhullet
Skafferhullet is a historical border crossing point along the Norway–Russia border (formerly it was on the Finland–Norway border and Soviet–Norway border). The border crossing site was located on the old road between Elvenes, Finnmark, Elven ...
has such a road, and there is one over the upper part of Jakobselva river.
As Norway grants the right to travel right up to the border, it is also permitted for residents of Norway to operate boats in the two border rivers and fish. All boats must be registered with the Norwegian Border Commission and registration plates must be mounted on both sides of the vessel. Boating is only permitted in daylight. Fishing and boating is only permitted on the Norwegian side of the river; however in the narrow passages of Pasvikelva it is permitted to travel through on the Russian side on the condition that the boat does not stop, except in emergencies. Parts of Pasvikelva is marked with yellow buoys along the border line during summer.
After the visa-free arrangement was activated, border trade has picked up. Norwegians buy petrol and diesel in Russia for less than half the price in Norway. This is the border in Europe with largest difference in fuel prices. Norwegians also buy some Russian products such as building material and some services like hair dressing. Products produced in EU, Japan etc. such as clothes and electronics, are more expensive in Russia because of tolls so Russians often buy them tax-free in Kirkenes. There are restrictions on food import in both directions, especially meat, and alcohol may only be imported into Norway if staying in Russia more than 24 hours, so food and alcohol are less often traded, which otherwise are the most traded goods over the Sweden-Norway
Sweden and Norway or Sweden–Norway (; ), officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and known as the United Kingdoms, was a personal union of the separate kingdoms of Sweden and Norway under a common monarch and common foreign poli ...
and Finland–Norway border
Norway and Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf o ...
s.
During the Covid-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
pandemic 2020–2022 the border traffic was much lower than before, because multi-day quarantine was in general needed for people wanting to cross the border.
In May 2024 the border was almost closed by Norway due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
. Only Russians with special reasons, such as having near relatives across the border or having work permit or on approved business visit could cross it. Visas for tourism or shopping etc were not given anymore, and multiple-entry visas and border permits for such purposes were cancelled.
Future
There are suggestions about a new larger border checkpoint to be built on the Norwegian side, as the current station has insufficient capacity to handle increased traffic, and the ground is not sufficiently stable to allow an expansion at the current site. Individual Norwegian police executives have called for a common border checkpoint located directly on the border line. This would allow for a more cost-effective and less time-consuming operation. However, Norwegian and Russian legislation, as well as the Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement ( , ) is a treaty which led to the creation of Europe's Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished. It was signed on 14 June 1985, near the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, by five of the t ...
, prohibit such an operation. The Parliament of Norway
The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...
's Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence has taken initiative to introduce a 24-hour-a-day opening time at the crossing; this has been rejected by the local police district, who stated that nearly all trans-border traffic is persons and that there is hardly any demand for a night service. Estimates show that border traffic may increase to 400,000 crossings by the mid- to late 2010s. The demand for a larger station remains as of 2017.
Since 1992, there have been proposals to connect the Russian railway network to Norway. Specifically this involves extending Norway's Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line
The Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line (), or the Sydvaranger Line (), is a long railway line between Kirkenes and Bjørnevatn in Sør-Varanger Municipality, Norway. Owned by the private mining company Northern Iron, the single track (rail), single-tr ...
to either Nikel or Zapolyarny, Russia, where it would connect to the Murmansk–Nikel Line. About of railway is missing to connect the two lines. The proposal calls to develop Kirkenes as a port for export of Russian products, as Murmansk Port is less suited and under-dimensioned. Major transshipment products include metals from Norilsk Nickel, steel from Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near its mouth into the White Sea. The city spreads for over along the ...
and crude oil. The Murmansk–Nikel Line was built in 1936, is long, is not electrified and is operated by the Russian Railways
Russian Railways or RZD () is a Russian fully state-owned vertically integrated railway company, both managing infrastructure and operating freight and passenger train services and has a near-monopoly on long-distance train travel in Russia.
...
. As it is Russian gauge
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
, the standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...
Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line would be presumably undergo gauge conversion or receive dual gauge
Dual gauge railroad track has three or four rails, allowing vehicles of two track gauges to run on it.
Signalling and sidings are more expensive to install on dual gauge tracks than on two single gauge tracks. Dual gauge is used when there i ...
. A new railway would be able to transport 5 million tonnes of cargo per year.
In 2003, the cost of the necessary of new railway was estimated at 1.4 billion Norwegian krone
The krone (, currency sign, abbreviation: kr (also NKr for distinction); ISO 4217, code: NOK), plural ''kroner'', is the currency of the Kingdom of Norway (including List of possessions of Norway, overseas territories and dependencies). It was t ...
(NOK), while the cost of upgrading the existing Russian line was NOK 400 million. In 2007, Murmansk Oblast
Murmansk Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia, located in the northwestern part of the country, with a total land area of . Its only internal border is the Republic of Karelia to the south, and it is bor ...
's governor, Yury Yevdokimov, rejected the plans for a connection to Russia, stating that his opinion was supported by President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
. Because Kirkenes is a better suited port than Murmansk, local authorities in Murmansk do not want to lose transshipment
Transshipment, trans-shipment or transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, then to another destination.
One possible reason for transshipment is to change the means of transport during the journey (e.g. ...
business to Norway. However, with the increased realism of a line to Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi ( , ; ; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Lapland (Finland), Lapland. It is located near the Arctic Circle in the northern interior of the country. The population of Rovaniemi is approximately , while the Rovaniemi su ...
, which would serve as an alternative route to Kirkenes from Russia, Russian authorities have since 2010 again supported a railway line between Kirkenes and Russia.
See also
* Norway–Russia relations
* Norway–Soviet Union relations
*Pomor trade
The Pomor trade (; ) was carried out between the Pomors of Northwest Russia and the people along the coast of northern Norway, as far south as Bodø (town), Bodø. The trade went on from 1740 until the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.
The Pomor tr ...
*Kola Norwegians
The Kola Norwegians () are Norwegian people, who mostly settled along the coastline of the Kola Peninsula in Russia.
History
In 1860 the Russian Tsar Alexander II granted permission for Norwegian settlements on the Kola. Around 1870, scores of ...
*Finland–Russia border
The international border between Finland and Russia is long and runs approximately north to south, mostly through taiga forests and sparsely populated rural areas. It does not follow any natural landmarks, such as mountains or rivers. It i ...
References
;Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Full text of the 2010 maritime border treaty
* and describe the Kirkenes–Murmansk bus line, and other info like visas.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norway-Russia border
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
Borders of Russia
Borders of the Soviet Union
Norway–Russia relations
Norway–Soviet Union relations
International borders
Pechengsky District
Sør-Varanger