A Norwegian Arctic man held in Russia on spy charges returns home

Frode Berg returned to Norway on Saturday, a day after he was released at the Russian border with Lithuania.

By Reuters - November 18, 2019
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A Norwegian man who was held in Russia on spy charges and who was released in a Cold War-style spy swap returned home on Saturday.

Frode Berg, a retired guard from Kirkenes, an Arctic city on the Norwegian-Russian border, was flown to Oslo in a private jet, a day after he was brought to Norway‘s embassy in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius and turned over to Norwegian authorities.

[Norwegian Arctic resident held in Russia comes home in Cold War-style swap with Norway and Lithuania]

According to his lawyer, Berg will spend some time with his family before talking to the intelligence services and then the wider public.

Berg was arrested in Moscow in 2017 and convicted of gathering intelligence on behalf of Norway. He pleaded not guilty.

Russia freed Berg and two Lithuanians at one of Lithuania’s border posts at Friday in return for two Russian spies held in Lithuania.