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- Structural changes of the Russian Federal Frontier Guard that began in mid-1990s implied a complete re-consideration of the priorities on border protection. What kind of changes have actually been introduced since then?
- In fact, our priorities have not changed. The aim of the federal frontier guard has remained the same - protection of the Russian state border on land and at sea, providing control at cross-border checkpoints, inspecting people, transport and cargoes crossing the border.
That is only part of our duties, the full list can be found in the federal law “On the State Border of the Russian Federation.” Besides the above-mentioned tasks, our service is responsible for the protection of marine natural resources within the Russian exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf.
- Fighting against terrorism and people smuggling is moving to the foreground around the world today. These problems include both political and economical aspects. What is the role of the Arctic regional department of Federal Frontier Guard in solving those problems?
- We are directly involved in dealing with illegal migration. Our department permanently faces the problem of people’s transit to EU and Scandinavian countries across the Russian territory. We work on revealing and disabling people-smuggling channels within the area of our responsibility.
In July this year, for instance, we revealed two groups of Moldavian citizens trying to cross illegally the Russian-Norwegian border. Upon taking the respective measures, the intending trespassers were sent away from the national border.
Here is another recent example. In September, the Arctic regional frontier guard together with Federal Security Service officers detained a Russian citizen, originally from Iraq, who, since the start of this year, had been seeking for ways to establish a steady flow of illegal Iraqi immigrants to Scandinavian countries, using false documents. The Iraqi citizens, who tried to cross the border with his help, were also detained and sent to Moscow for their further return to the homeland.
- Over the last years, Murmansk region has been actively developing cooperation with Norway and Finland. How would you estimate the level of your interaction with Norwegian and Finnish frontier guards?
- The level of cooperation has always been high. Collaboration with Norwegian and Finnish frontier guard structures on preventing and revealing channels of illegal migration and smuggle is well established. We have been actively cooperating with the East Finnmark Police Directorate, arranging common actions to clamp down on illegal migration through the Russian-Norwegian border.
After Norway and Finland have joined the Shengen convention, a close cooperation between border structures of the neighbouring states is acquiring a special meaning, contributing to a better coordination of joint actions.
Together with our Norwegian counterparts, we are now preparing a draft agreement on border-related issues. It is planned to sign the agreement until the end of the year.
- But do cases of illegal border-crossing occur?
- Some Norwegian mass media tend to report periodically on allegedly unreliable protection of the Russian-Norwegian border. In May this year, Norway’s TV2 presented a series of programmes about a representative of a Russian criminal group that operated illegal transfer of Pakistani and Afghani citizens to Norway through the Russian Federation. According to the information presented, about 50 people were unlawfully transferred by this scheme. However, these allegations are absolutely groundless, and we even know the people that provided the Norwegian TV channel with these faked materials.
As for me, I do not pay much attention to such newsmakers’ stories and distortion of facts, as I am confident of the safety of the border. In August this year, a joint delegation of military attach?s representing Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, visited our department and examined the work performed at our section of the national border. The delegates gave a high appraisal of our experience on fighting with illegal migration, drug trafficking, poaching at sea. Norway’s military attach? in Moscow J?rn Bu? said that now, after he checked everything personally, “Kirkenes can sleep quietly”.
- The Arctic frontier guard department is also responsible for protecting marine natural resources…
- Protection of marine biological resources in our region is a duty of the Murmansk maritime inspection, which is subordinate to the State Maritime Guard. Over 8 months of the current year, Murmansk maritime inspectors have performed 1287 checks of Russian and foreign vessels, having revealed 81 cases of breaches of the Russian fishery legislation. Illegal fishing, quotas overtaking, unallowable by-catches and other fishery violations are still frequent.
There are also other kinds of problems. Let’s take Murmansk Fish Processing Plant, for example.
Its director Mikhail Zub is certainly doing a good thing supplying cheap fish products at the local market. At the same time, he seems to forget the necessity to observe the law, when arranging raw fish supplies from Norway. The matter is that Norwegian fishermen delivering their catches to MFPP often lack the appropriate documents for crossing the border. Last year, we provided the MFPP administration with a list of necessary documentation, but this year the situation is repeating. It looks like Mr Zub has little concern over meeting the requirements of the law.
Nevertheless, as to the protection of marine resources, the situation here is better than in the Far East or in the south of Russia, where fishermen are far less law-abiding.
Moreover, not only Russians happen to break the rules. Foreign fish-catchers are not different in this regard. For example, on September 5, 2002, during a check of the Norwegian vessel “Nordtrans”, 163 pieces of Kamchatka crab - prohibited for fishing- were found in the holds. This resulted in imposing a fine of USD 6 700.
Finally, I would like to say that we are aware of the criminal structures’ striving for taking control over coastal fishery. I think this problem stems from the inadequately small fishing quotas given to coastal fishermen. Making this type of fishery a loss-making business, the state itself leads to the emerging of shadow capitals in this sector of economy, thus being largely guilty for its criminalization.
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