The Governor of Svalbard informs Trust Arktikugol, the Russian mining company in Svalbard.

Russian Orthodox Bishop Jakov of Naryan-Mar and Mezen, a known Putin supporter, led the installation of the cross.

– The northernmost Orthodox cross in the world is installed on the slope of Pyramid Mountain. (…) The rebirth of the pyramid continues!, wrote Trust Arktikugol on its Instagram page about the event.

Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church have made headlines especially in the last year, as many believe they are helping to legitimize the war in Ukraine. Among other things, they sat in the front row while Putin addressed the National Assembly.

Learn more about when the Russians erected the cross in the case below:

Decorated with a military symbol

The cross was carried up the mountainside by around ten people and stands approximately seven meters above the ground.

The bishop walked in front, while the director of the state mining company, Ildar Neverov, formed the vanguard of those carrying the cross.

The bishop consecrated the cross and gave it the name Saint George. It was also decorated with the black and orange ribbon of St. George, which today serves as a military symbol, used to mark aggressive imperialism and Russkij Mir – the Russian world.

The same colors are often used to draw the famous Z symbol on military vehicles and weapons.

Svalbard depends on Norway, which has sovereignty over the archipelago. However, the settlements of Barentsburg and Pyramiden are mainly inhabited by Russians and Ukrainians, as the Russian state-owned Trust Arktikugol has mining operations in Barentsburg.

– Dramatically

At the forum with Putin

Dagbladet sent a request to Ildar Neverov, director of the Arktikugol Trust, but this has not yet received a response. The request to the company’s marketing department was also not answered.

On the company’s official Telegram channel, it is reported that Neverov is in Vladivostok to attend the Eastern Economic Forum. He is participating on Monday in a round table entitled “Sanctions as an opportunity for development”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is also participating in the forum.

Dagbladet obtained access to a document sent on July 27 by Trust Arktikugol to the governor, in which it is stated that in July it is planned to install a memorial in the shape of an Orthodox cross in the mountainous area near the Pyramiden.

On August 5, it became a fact, but the governor is now asking the Russians to remove the cross.

The Norwegian yes to the trip to Russia

– Within the framework of the legislation

When Dagbladet wrote about the installation of the cross, the press service of Trust Arktikugol stated that they operated within the law.

In a notice of order to remove the cross, sent by the governor on August 27, the Russians have two weeks to respond to the notice.

They believe that the message sent by Trust Arktikugol to notify the cross is erroneous and unclear, and point out that it also does not contain an assessment as to whether the measure complies with the Pyramid site plan. They also write that “the cross is of such size that it is obligatory to request it.”

“The governor is aware that the cross was erected without authorization and that it was erected in an area of ​​cultural, natural and outdoor heritage. The mayor warns that the cross must be removed from its current location,” they write again .

The Russians must now apply to install the cross elsewhere, and the governor clarifies that this cannot be done until approval is obtained.