2024-09-25 14:54:18
Russian ships in the Baltic Sea
“We consider the danger to be very real”
Updated on 25.09.2024 – 09:50Reading time: 3 min.
The result of an international investigation is worrying: Russia appears to be systematically spying on wind farms, data cables and pipelines in the Baltic and North Seas.
An international research project has revealed that Russia is apparently systematically spying on critical infrastructure in the Baltic and North Seas. In Germany, the NDR, WDR and the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (SZ) were involved in the research. The investigative journalists evaluated more than 400 trips by 72 Russian research vessels and compiled worrying details.
According to the reports, Russian ships sailed at least 60 times with their tracking systems switched off and carried out slow maneuvers near critical infrastructure. The targets included NATO diving areas, gas pipelines, data cables and wind farms. “We consider the danger to be very real,” said the President of the Federal Intelligence Service Bruno Kahl in an interview with NDR, WDR and “SZ”.
In October 2023, the federal police came across the Russian research vessel “Evgeny Gorigledzhan” in the “Arcadis Ost 1” wind farm off Rügen. According to research, the ship had switched off its transponders, which meant that it was no longer sending position data. The federal police are said to have then asked the ship’s captain to leave the area.
The ship then turned away, but entered a NATO submarine diving area in the Danish foreign trade zone (EEZ). According to the report, it made conspicuous zigzag patterns there for hours. According to information from security circles, the aim of the action could have been to collect acoustic information about submarines.
The “Evgeny Gorigledzhan” is part of the secret deep-sea research program of the Russian Armed Forces (GUGI). According to official information, the ships are only conducting “hydrographic research”. Russian naval ships have the right to transit Denmark, but it is unusual for them to make longer stays there. According to Danish media reports, there were also armed soldiers on board the ship.
In a report by the Danish research platform “Danwatch”, Danish military analyst Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen expressed his astonishment that a modern Russian spy ship can apparently sail undisturbed in Danish waters. “Anyone who sits in a command center and follows shipping traffic should be astonished by this. This is not a civilian ferry, this is a special unit! This should have set off the loudest alarm bells immediately,” said the expert in an interview.
“It seems very, very strange that we are not paying more attention to what is happening here. According to the AIS data, it seems to take up to eight hours for a small German coast guard ship to arrive. Eight hours in the middle of the night while this ship goes back and forth and does something. And you must not forget that this is not just anyone. GUGI is well known. These are highly professional people.”
According to research by NDR, WDR and “SZ”, other suspicious Russian voyages took place off the coasts of Denmark, Estonia, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland. In most cases, the Russian ships were in the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of the countries concerned. Sometimes, however, they also entered the territorial sea of the respective states, where espionage activities are expressly prohibited.
According to a former sailor on one of these ships, who spoke to the research team, the infrastructure is to be precisely measured so that it can be deliberately destroyed in the event of war. The alleged espionage trips are likely to be part of Moscow’s hybrid warfare against the West. Russia has expanded its capabilities in ocean warfare in recent years, including with mini-submarines, divers and underwater drones. Russian authorities and NATO left the researchers’ inquiries unanswered.
The current legal situation makes it difficult for the neighboring countries to take concrete action against Russia’s alleged espionage activities. So far, the countries affected have only had the option of using their own ships for presence trips and accompanying suspicious Russian ships. Since the beginning of 2023, the Federal Police have escorted Russian ships in 102 cases, according to a response from the Federal Government to a question from CDU MP Roderich Kiesewetter. More underwater sensors could help to better monitor suspicious movements in the future.