Norwegian police reported 11 Russians on board the detained ship

There are 11 Russians on board the ship Silver Dania, which was detained in Norway. This was reported to journalists on January 31 by the deputy head of the police district of Troms Einar Ljusnes.

"The entire crew of 11 people are Russians. Both the crew and the shipping company cooperated with the police and voluntarily went to Tromsø," Ljusnes said, his words quoted by broadcaster NRK.

Prosecutor Ronny Jorgensen, in turn, said that the detention of Silver Dania was facilitated by the coast guard vessel KV Bison. Latvian authorities sent a request for investigative actions on the vessel with the Russians. It was granted, and now law enforcers are searching there.

NRK notes that Silver Dania belongs to the Norwegian shipping company Silver Sea. The owner of the ship Tormod Fossmark told the broadcaster that at the time of the cable damage in the Baltic Sea Silver Dania was off the coast of the island of Gotland, which is between Sweden and Latvia. Fossmark told the broadcaster that he understood the Latvian authorities' desire to check the vessel and expressed hope that it would continue sailing on January 31.

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Earlier in the day, Norwegian police detained the Silver Dania vessel with a Russian crew on suspicion that it was allegedly involved in the cable damage in the Baltic Sea on January 26. The vessel operates between St. Petersburg and Murmansk and was requested to be detained by the Latvian authorities. The Russian Embassy in Norway has sent an official request to the Troms police.

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silinja said on January 26 that the submarine cable was probably damaged by an external impact. The damage was discovered in the economic zone of Sweden, it is, according to the head of the government, quite significant.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on January 28 that Russia was allegedly involved in the breaking of the cable. First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov called Scholz's words nonsense in a conversation with Izvestia. The senator pointed out that the chancellor ignores the USinvolvement in the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosion, but immediately notices Russia's alleged guilt in insignificant events.