Northern Europe: Russian spy ships suspected of plotting sabotage

Russia is suspected of operating an espionage program in the waters off northern Europe, according to a documentary aired Wednesday by major Nordic television stations. The Kremlin immediately dismissed the accusations as “false” and “baseless,” reiterating its call for a “transparent and impartial international investigation” into last September’s sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea.

The Swedish Prime Minister spoke to him about “serious” information. It “underlines that we have a very dangerous situation in our immediate vicinity,” Ulf Kristerson told a press conference aboard a Swedish navy ship.

Science ship, but spy

According to a joint investigation by NRK (Norway), DR (Denmark), SVT (Sweden) and Yle (Finland) televisions, citing intelligence officials from the Nordic countries, Moscow is using the maritime vessel for espionage purposes. Admiral Vladimirsky, officially a science building.

During a mission in late 2022, the latter cruised near large offshore wind farms off the coast of Denmark and the United Kingdom, suggesting scouting aimed at energy infrastructure. A DR team approached a constellation near Admiral Vladimirsky. According to extracts broadcast by the Danish channel, two masked and armed soldiers came out on deck to let them know they had been spotted.

Reconnaissance trawlers and barges

Russian intelligence also uses trawlers, cargo ships and boats equipped with underwater or radio surveillance equipment, according to state media investigations. In Sweden27 of these suspicious vessels are said to have sailed in Swedish waters or docked in Swedish ports in the past five years.

In Norway, over a ten-year period, at least 50 Russian boats had the “possibility of secretly collecting information,” according to figures established by their electronic signature AIS (Automatic Identification System), NRK.

The documentary, to be broadcast on Wednesday evening, prompted an immediate reaction from Moscow, pointing to Western responsibility for the spectacular sabotage of the Nord Stream underwater gas pipeline linking Russia to Germany.

Moscow refuses

“The media in these countries have erred in their investigation. They want to baselessly accuse Russia again,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday. “We want to focus more on attacks on them North stream And there should be a transparent and impartial international inquiry into these acts of vandalism,” he said.

According to Nordic TV, the Russian spy ships belong to the Directorate for Deep Sea Research Kugi, a secretive unit of the Russian Navy. Dependent on the Ministry of Defence, the organization operates from a secret base in the Barents Sea, specifically on the Arctic Kola Peninsula.

(AFP)Show comments