Ukrainian state-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz reported that Norwegian authorities seized the Russian vessel Professor Molchanov at a port in Barentsburg, Svalbard. ^[1] Håkon Finstad, operations leader on Svalbard, confirmed that the police received a ruling from the Nord-Troms and Senja District Court to take arrest and lien on the vessel Professor Molchanov. ^[2] Naftogaz stated that the obligation involves approximately 4.22 billion US dollars, plus interest and costs. ^[3] The Nord-Troms and Senja District Court decided on August 31 to order the seizure of the vessel as part of a global effort to secure Russia's outstanding obligations. ^[4] A 2023 arbitration tribunal in The Hague ordered Russia to pay Naftogaz $4.22 billion plus interest and legal fees as compensation for property losses. ^[5] Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated in an interview with Tass that the seizure constitutes piracy. ^[6] The seizure was executed after a ruling by the local district court in Nord-Troms og Senja, Norway, granting Naftogaz the right to seize the vessel. ^[7]