Lithuanian transit

Frude Berg, convicted in Russia for espionage, can return to Norway this week

Prior to the return of the Norwegian pensioner to Kirkenes there were a few days. According to many sources, the Norwegian, convicted in April for espionage, may be released before October 24. On this day, the official visit of the Russian Foreign Ministry to the border Kirkenes, the hometown of Frude, was appointed on this day, where a portrait of Berg with the inscription has been hanging in the central square: “Return Frud home!”

Sergei Lavrov will visit Kirkenes to take part in commemorative events dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the liberation of North Norway from the Nazi occupation. It became the result of the famous Petsamo-Kirkenes operation, which cost the Soviet troops, only according to official figures, more than 6 thousand dead. The offensive of the Karelian Front rejected the Germans from the Murmansk direction and made it possible to freely go out to hundreds of residents of Kirkenes, who spent months of occupation in underground catacombs. Now there is a museum. Near the catacombs-a monument to the Soviet soldier-liberator. Today (against the backdrop of exacerbation of relations between countries) this is perhaps the only memory of the former brotherhood. Moreover, perhaps, signs with the names of the streets in Russian, which appeared in the border city in the 90s.

Frude Berg was one of the ardent activists of the Party of the World, called for friends with Russia during the years of his work in the border service. Having retired, he became a guide for cultural and twin-made ties between the two countries, a volunteer of cross-border festivals and a participant in the bilateral commission, which regularly inspects the line of the border, clarifying it if necessary (the Russian-Norwegian border passes along the river PAZ, the channel of which sometimes changes its bends).

The fan of Russia Berg was until December 5, 2017, when he was arrested in Moscow and placed in the Lefortovo pre -trial detention center, accusing of espionage.

According to Berg, he did not plead guilty to Russia, he came to visit his friends. The case was obeyed in closed mode, and information about evidence of protection is very scarce. It is known that among them there is a certain envelope with a small amount of money that Berg asked the Norwegian friend to be taken. The investigation considered that these funds are designed to buy Russian GOSTIIN. However, if this amount (about three thousand dollars) would be enough to acquire secrets associated with the development of the latest weapons for the Northern Fleet (such a version of the prosecution), then these state guests are inexpensive. Frude, however, claimed that it was not the first time that he was transferring money to Russia, which gave his wife to his wife Anita in an interview with BBC to accuse Norwegian intelligence of the game with Berg on the dark.

One way or another, but in April the Moscow City Court sentenced the 63-year-old berg to 14 years in a maximum security colony. The defense asked for an acquittal, but did not appeal the court decision - for reasons of pragmatism. Berg’s lawyer Ilya Novikov immediately stated that he was hoping for pardon, meanwhile, the appeal would only tighten the process.

The situation was complicated by the fact that there was no one in Norway on Frud - there is another practice in relation to Russian agents of influence. The maximum bonded in the collection of national security secrets is expelled from the state, depriving a visa for several years. In prisons, at the expense of Norwegian taxpayers, it is not customary to plant them.

As a result of the exchange, Fruda waited several months. Last week, it became reliably known that he gave a petition for pardon, as well as that the exchange of prisoners between Russia and Lithuania was being prepared. Initially, it was about the release of Lithuania citizens, then the question came to the transfer to Lithuania in agreement with Oslo Frude Berg. Details of the upcoming operation for obvious reasons were not disclosed, but I can repeat, to expect that the issue will be resolved this week. This will provide an opportunity for some rebooting the serious crisis of Russian-Norwegian relations during the visit of Sergei Lavrov. Otherwise, a long -prepared visit will be too overshadowed by the history of the Norwegian Russophile, who paid for Freedom for faith in the stability and trust of these good neighborly ties.