TV 2 reveals: Russians own cabins in Norway
It caused a stir both nationally and internationally when TV 2 in Norway revealed that Russians with ties to President Vladimir Putin own cabins in the middle of one of the most important military areas in northern Norway.
TV 2 has mapped all properties in Northern Norway that are registered with a foreign, private owner. This revealed, among other things, that at Bardufoss, where there is a military air base, several cabins were owned by Russians.
The war in Ukraine is the backdrop for the stories that TV 2's foreign editorial staff initiated. Behind the revelations is a group of investigative journalists with different skills; reporters with investigative skills, political expertise and reporters with specialist knowledge of Russia. The group had to introduce special security procedures while they worked on the history of the Russian-owned cabins in northern Norway, says journalist Anne Sofie Rønnfeldt, who was part of the group.
When the first stories about the Russian-owned cabins in northern Norway were published, it created attention in both national and international media, and several Norwegians approached TV 2 in wonder:
"They wanted to know how it is even possible that high-ranking members of Putin's party own cabins in such vulnerable parts of Norway," explains Anne Sofie Rønnfeldt.
The revelation has meant that a joint Norwegian legal committee has demanded mandatory registration of property purchases in Norway, and the government will introduce a system where property purchases made by non-European citizens must have special approval, precisely to avoid unwanted people establishing themselves in Norway.
