BARENTSBURG (Nettavisen): There are simple conditions in the Russian settlement about 50 km from Longyearbyen on Svalbard. Several of the buildings in the mining town have tired facades, and the hotel bar is decorated with simple wooden chairs and tables.
At the top of the city, with a view of the entire settlement, the sea and the mountains, is the Russian consulate. As the only building in the city, it is protected behind a high metal gate with a lock.
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The Russian consul, Sergey Gouschin, meets Nettavisen inside the consulate’s foyer, where shiny, white marble tiles cover floors and walls. While the vast majority of free media in Russia have shut down work as a result Putin’s new, tough laws against spreading “false news” about the warand foreign media can be registered as foreign agents in Russiameets the online newspaper Gouschin in the Russian settlement on Norwegian territory.
Chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and by the stairs water flows through a fountain. On the second floor, the consulate has a gallery with Norwegian and Russian paintings, and a separate fireplace room.
Four years have passed since Gouschin entered the doors of the consulate for the first time. Before that he worked for five years at the Russian embassy in Oslo. Soon he will have a decade behind him in Norway, but it will not be longer. As soon as a successor arrives, Gouschin travels back to Moscow, where he has a daughter and an elderly mother.
First, however, the Russian authorities must point out who will take over the baton. The person in question must then be approved by the Norwegian authorities. The role of Consul General consists of several key tasks.
– My job is, among other things, to assist Russian organizations here in Barentsburg, and to support the inhabitants here. In addition, I maintain contact with the Norwegian authorities, and ensure that Norway maintains its bonds to the treaty here on Spitsbergen. I report directly to Moscow, says Gouschin.
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Discussing on social media
The population of Barentsburg undergoes major replacements throughout the year. Of the approximately 370 people living there today, two thirds are from Ukraine. The Ukrainians here are mainly from the Donbas region, and thus speak Russian. The rest of the inhabitants of Barentsburg are mostly Russian, but some have also come from Moldova. Most live here for only a couple of years, while some have lived in Barentsburg for several decades, says Gouschin.
It is a small community, and the Russians and Ukrainians have so far managed to live peacefully side by side, even after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. There is a good atmosphere in the streets and in the pub, according to Gouschin, but on social media, people have not held back from what they think about what is happening in Ukraine.
– There are no visible signs of conflict among the people here on a daily basis, but on social media the discussions take place. It’s been a difficult month. People are scared, and that is reflected in what they write online, says Gouschin.
The consul himself says that he has several Ukrainian friends, and that Arctic solidarity is rock solid within the population. They are used to living together, and try to help each other as much as they can, even in tough times.
Gouschin envisions that the war will allow Russians and Ukrainians to live together in peace.
– We are in Ukraine to end the war. As soon as we get rid of the Nazi ideology, I sincerely hope for peace.
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Refuses to call it a war
Gouschin’s portrayal of what is going on in Ukraine is an echo of the Kremlin’s description of reality. Gouschin says he believes in this portrayal, but also says:
– If I had disagreed with Putin, I could not have had this job. Then I had resigned. But this is my personal opinion, and I want to realize his policy here at Spitsbergen.
Senior researcher Julie Wilhelmsen in NUPI tells Nettavisen that Gouchin risks 15 years in prison if he does not keep the official line.
– We must get rid of the Nazi figures in Ukraine, and free the people there from the constant danger of bombs. The goal is to make their lives safer and more stable, says Gouchin and adds that the “special operation” was started to end the war that has lasted since 2014, says the Consul General.
– You do not want to call it a war?
– I use the term my president uses. It is a «special military operation».
He denies that people in Barentsburg, himself included, are afraid to speak out about what they think about what is happening in Ukraine.
– Nobody here is afraid of it. Everyone can say what they mean and feel here in Barentsburg. People have a right to it, and they use that right.
While Western media, Nettavisen included, report on the great suffering inflicted on the Ukrainian people as a result of the Russian invasion, Gouchin believes that this is false news and propaganda.
When Nettavisen takes a bunch of pictures, both of wounded people and bombed buildings, taken in Ukraine in the last month, the consul is quick to dismiss them as staged. See the consul’s reaction here – and how he explains the pictures that have gone around the world:
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– Norwegians are lied to
Every day, Gouschin reads both Norwegian and Russian media. He is in no doubt about what he prefers.
– In my opinion, Norwegian media mostly write «fake news». Russian news is more genuine and truthful about what is actually happening in Ukraine. Norwegian media follow the official, Ukrainian line of this operation, like many other countries in Europe. Russian media are more credible, says the consul, and elaborates:
– Russian media have revealed how to make “fake news”. They explain how each news item is made and faked.
– So Norwegians are lied to by the media?
– Yes, unfortunately. I encourage everyone to read news from the Russian state, which has more credible sources and photos.
– Deeply worrying
Reidun Kjelling Nybø, Secretary General of the Norwegian Editors’ Association, thinks it is sad to see the comments from the Russian Consul General. Nybø leads the association, whose overall goal is to ensure full freedom of information and expression for all, and good framework conditions for free media in Norway.
– This documents the ongoing information war and shows how important it is that there are editor-controlled media that can report on what is happening and ask critical questions to the authorities. Right now, these free votes do not exist in Russia. They are shut down. On Monday, Novaya Gazeta had to give up as one of the last. It is deeply worrying, writes Reidun Kjelling Nybø, to Nettavisen.
– The difference between Norwegians and Russians is that we have access to information from a large number of free media from a number of different countries, while the Russians mainly do not have access to sources other than the state-controlled Russian media. They tell the version that suits the Russian authorities, writes Nybø.
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