Following reports of suspicious drone sightings near offshore oil and gas production rigs operated by the major energy producer, Norway is on high alert.
It is commonly believed that sabotage was responsible for the Baltic Sea explosions of the Nord Stream gas pipeline last month.
The unnamed 51-year-old Russian man was detained on Friday on suspicion of operating a drone in Norway, a charge to which he readily admitted.
According to police in the northern town of Tromso, “police have seized a substantial number of photographic equipment, including a drone and a stockpile of memory cards.”
Photos of a different airfield in the northern town of Kirkenes and Bell helicopters used by the Norwegian military were among the confiscated items, according to the report.
According to Tromso police, Norway’s Police Security Service has been contacted about the probe.
Following the February invasion of Ukraine, the Scandinavian country, along with numerous other Western nations, has prohibited Russians and Russian corporations from overflying its territory.
A three-year jail sentence is imposed for violating the prohibition.
On Friday, Norwegian police said that they had arrested a second Russian who had attempted to cross the border earlier this week in the far north while returning home with two drones and a collection of images and recordings.
A 50-year-old guy by the name of Vitaly Rustanov was detained at Storskog, the sole crossing point between Russia and Norway.
Rustanov was remanded in two-week interim imprisonment on Friday after admitting to using drones “over the whole nation” but denying any wrongdoing.
When he was detained while attempting to drive back into Russia, he had two Russian passports and an Israeli one on him.
