Norebo insists that allegations suggesting its vessels are involved in Russian state-sponsored intelligence gathering are unfounded. The company shared a statement from Russia’s Federal Fisheries Agency (Rosrybolovstvo), which refers to a meeting of the Permanent Norwegian–Russian Committee for Fisheries Management and Control held by videoconference from 3–5 June 2025.
According to the minutes of that meeting, the Russian side directly addressed reports in the Norwegian press that suggested the Norwegian Coast Guard had accused Russian vessels of illegal activities in Norwegian waters.
Item 9.4 of the protocol from the meeting, titled “Issues on media reports with negative statements about Russian fishing vessels”, records that:
“The Russian party asked the Norwegian party to clarify the allegations made against Russian fishing vessels, and in addition to confirm or deny that there is a basis for accusations of illegal acts that can be qualified as espionage.
The Norwegian party rejected the allegations that the Coast Guard has accused Russian fishing vessels of illegal acts.”
This official denial, Norebo argues, undermines the basis of the EU and Norwegian decisions to list the company as a threat to undersea infrastructure.
“We believe that this supports our view that the allegations are absurd,” Norebo said.
The company also referenced correspondence from Rosrybolovstvo, signed by Deputy Head A.V. Yakovlev, dated 9 June 2025. The agency reiterated that no evidence had been presented by Norway to justify the sanctions and confirmed that the Norwegian side had “rejected” the accusations when questioned directly.
Strategic Fallout
The Norwegian sanctions mirror a package adopted by the European Union in May 2025 as part of its so-called hybrid measures targeting Russian state-linked activities in undersea surveillance, cable sabotage, cyber operations and disinformation. The EU claims that Norebo and Murman Seafood are involved in state-backed operations targeting critical undersea infrastructure.
In rejecting this position, Norebo accuses the EU and Norway of escalating geopolitical tensions under the guise of marine protection and security, and of compromising fisheries cooperation built up over decades in the Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea.
Norway has not responded to the claims made in the Norebo statement or to the assertion that its Coast Guard’s position had been misrepresented in press coverage.