A large number of suspicious Russian ships have been spotted in northern European waters, according to a joint investigation by the public broadcasters of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. The US reports News channel “CNN”.
Military and naval experts assume that these are Russian spy ships. They are supposed to collect information about offshore wind farms, underwater cables and military bases for potential sabotage operations.
As the Norwegian broadcaster “NRK” reports, in the past decade a large number of Russian ships have passed military training areas, important oil and gas fields, small airports, deep-sea wharves and strategically important hubs in order to map key locations for potential acts of sabotage.
A researcher at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy, Ståle Ulriksen, told NRK about at least 50 Russian spy ships. “We’re talking about a very large system here,” says the expert.
Does Russia use research and fishing vessels for espionage purposes?
According to media reports, the Russian research vessel “Admiral Vladimirsky” sailed the Nordic waters for a month with the radio transmitter switched off.
The public broadcaster’s investigation revealed that the Russian ship appeared near wind farms and inside Swedish naval training areas, they said. Officially, the “Admiral Vladimirsky” is used for research purposes and underwater expeditions.
As a Danish TV crew approached the ship sailing between Sweden and Denmark, a masked man armed with an assault rifle was reported to have appeared on deck. A camera team recorded the encounter.
The Russian fishing vessel Taurus has been spotted in unusual places in Norwegian waters. According to the “NRK”, in the recent past it should be headed directly for military bases and where public shipping is actually strictly forbidden.
Now it’s about confrontation.
Nils Andreas Stensønes, Norwegian Secret Service
In one case, the “Taurus” is said to have headed directly for the Norwegian city of Ålesund. The fishing ship in the Trøndelag region passed a large NATO exercise, reports the “NRK”.
What does Russia say about the espionage allegations?
According to media reports, Russia rejected all allegations on Wednesday. At the request of “CNN”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the allegations made in the research report as simply “unfounded”, it said.
The director of the Norwegian secret service, Nils Andreas Stensønes, paints a different picture. “We see it very clearly now. Russia says cooperation with the West is over. Now it’s about confrontation,” said the 58-year-old to the “NRK”. (tsp)
