International treaty confirming Norwegian sovereignty over the Svalbard archipelago, which came into force on August 14th 1925. The treaty permits signatories to conduct commercial activities on the islands, including mining. Russia maintains mining operations about 30 miles from the archipelago's main settlement, Longyearbyen, which is named after John Longyear, the American businessman who first exploited Svalbard's coal deposits in the early 20th century. Norway's prime minister, Jonas Støre, presided over the treaty's 100th anniversary ceremony in Longyearbyen in August 2025.
The islands' treaty-based demilitarisation makes them a potential flashpoint for NATO. A European intelligence official has described Svalbard as "near the top of a list of where Russia might try something." The archipelago provides potential locations for naval or air bases.
Barentsburg is a Russian company town on Svalbard, run by Arktikugol, a Russian mining company. Russians have mined coal there since the 1930s. Its population has slumped from 2,000 last century to an estimated 340. The coal from its uneconomic mine is burnt locally; the power station's chimneys spew soot over nearby glaciers. A garish Soviet tower block from 1974 is promoted as "the world's northernmost skyscraper"; it is four storeys tall. An even smaller Russian settlement, Pyramiden, sits nearby.
Three years ago Russian trawlers sabotaged a communications cable near Svalbard. In March 2025 Russia accused Norway of breaching the treaty with military activity on the archipelago. Vladimir Putin has declared Norway an unfriendly country. Svalbard's Norwegian governor, Lars Fause, reports no tensions but discourages non-Russians from visiting the Russian settlements. Residents of Longyearbyen and Barentsburg have stopped exchanging visits on national days, and Russian parades have become more militaristic. Liberal Russians have fled Barentsburg for prosperous Longyearbyen; some who spoke out against the Ukraine war say it grew "complicated" to stay. Russia will not close its crumbling settlement: it retains propaganda and, perhaps, intelligence value.
Even the best of friends cannot attend each other's funeral.