Sharing the sea: life on the EU’s only open border with Russia

Despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in the Barents Sea it maintains cordial relations with Nato neighbours over fishing rights – barely

From the village of Grense Jakobselv, where the Norwegian-Russian border meets the Arctic Ocean, you can see straight into Russia. And, across the river that marks the border line, the Russian soldiers can look right back.

Despite water temperatures here rarely climbing above 10C (50F), in the summer months the Norwegian side is a popular destination for fishing, beluga whale spotting, basking in the midnight sun and, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, peering into Russia. “Everyone wants to go to one of the most eastern military points of Norway and have a look into Russia. It’s like being at Loch Ness,” says Trygg Arne Larsen, a military adviser.