Antonina
This article was created in 2018. We have chosen to keep it in order to give you an insight into what everyday life was like here in the region before the restrictions due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine took effect.
Antonina Sheltova lives in Murmansk, where she works as a small-scale entrepreneur with her own hat shop in the city center. Once a month she travels to Kirkenes in Norway to sell Russian goods and clothes.
This is an important financial contribution for the group of Russian women who make this trip every month. Many of them are retired, and this business is a good contribution to their finances.
And as Antonina says, it is also a joy for them to be able to take this little trip abroad. They like to bring their Russian clothes to Norway, to the delight of locals and visitors from abroad. And they are not afraid to stand their ground when it comes to haggling.
“They like to bring their Russian clothes to Norway”
Russian small-scale trade of this type has faced various restrictions over the years, according to NRK also due to pressure from local businesses who have feared competition.
The visa procedure to enter Norway has been long and bureaucratic. In recent years, visa regulations have changed between Norway and Russia. Border resident certificates have replaced visas for people living in the border area, but not extending to Murmansk. To get a business, visas have become easier, but they still need a special permit from all municipalities where they want to do business.