“We are shocked by some strange information activity of the Russophobic part, perhaps the lobby inside Norway, maybe the lobby outside Norway. But the results, obviously, we saw on that state's media's pages. These were real massive anti-Russian fake stories, they appeared recently and concerned the alleged presence of Russian special forces and the active espionage activities of Russia's security services in Norway," Zakharova said at a briefing.
She slammed such activity as a total absence of principles and rejection of professional journalistic norms.
“Systematic work has been carried out in Norway recently to impose the image of the enemy in the person of Russia. This is an aggressive informational anti-Russian policy... We hope Norway will build relations with Russia based on long-term interests and genuinely partner-like respect, and not based on provocative fakes," Zakharova said.
Earlier, independent anti-war website AldriMer reported, citing several unspecified sources that elite Russian soldiers known as Spetsnaz and even "hired paramilitary personnel" had been spotted on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, Norway.
The Norwegian Defence Ministry, the Armed Forces and the Norwegian Police Security Service PST, however, have refuted the report.