Moscow is engaged in espionage activities in Northern European waters, according to research by Scandinavian media. The goal is vital infrastructure, for which special research vessels are deployed.
reported Wednesday Investigative journalists from the Scandinavian broadcasters SVT, NRK, DR and Yle, targets of a Russian military program. Namely to record the positions of offshore wind farms, gas pipelines, power and internet cables around Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.
Explosions at gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2
At the end of September 2022, there were explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines near the Danish Baltic Sea island of Bornholm. There were four leaks in the pipes. Authorities suspect sabotage. Despite investigations by German, Danish and Swedish authorities, it is still unclear who is responsible. The newspaper “Information” recently reported that four days before the explosions, a Danish patrol boat took 112 pictures of Russian ships near the pipelines.
In their joint documentary “Schattenkrieg”, SVT, NRK, DR and Yle now reported that Russian ships are regularly in Northern European waters. In all, the media has identified 50 vessels that have made suspicious voyages over the past decade, including research and cargo ships, fishing boats and yachts. The suspected ships would have turned off their identification transmitters to stay under the radar.
Is Russia preparing acts of sabotage?
As an example, the broadcasters mentioned a Russian research vessel that was sighted in November 2022 in the Kattegat between Denmark and Sweden: it is officially conducting sea research, but has sent radio messages to a naval base in Russia. When DR journalists drove up to the ship, they saw a masked man with a gun on the deck.
According to the broadcaster, secret services and experts assume that the procedure is intended to prepare acts of sabotage in order to get the chance to paralyze the power supply in Northern Europe, for example. In the event of a conflict with the West, Russia knows where to cripple Danish society with sabotage, said the Danish secret service’s chief of counterintelligence, Anders Henriksen. The Russian ambassador to Norway said Russian seafarers have the right to sail in Norwegian coastal waters.
Source: Krone
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