The Russian embassy in Norway has received 89 requests from Russian nationals asking for assistance in returning home since the suspension of air traffic between the two states in mid-March in the light of COVID-19 pandemic, a spokesperson for the embassy told Sputnik

The unemployment rate in Norway has exceeded 14 percent over the past month, with more than 412,000 people having become completely or partially unemployed because of the COVID-19 crisis, the country's Labor Inspection Authority said on Friday

Norway's refusal to engage in consultations over Spitsbergen are seen by Moscow as attempts to limit Russian presence on the Arctic Sea archipelago and jeopardizes Russian-Norwegian relations, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday