Russian ships accused of plotting North Sea sabotage with ghost ships
The UK is under threat from a Russian programme to sabotage wind farms and communication cables in the North Sea, according to new allegations .
A joint investigation from public broadcasters in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland alleges Russia has established a state-run programme using spy ships disguised as fishing vessels, as first reported in the UK.
The Nordic countries allege Russia has been mapping key infrastructure in the North Sea with underwater surveillance equipment for potential sabotage with underwater surveillance equipment.
The allegations will feature in a series of reports due to be broadcast on Wednesday by DR in Denmark, NRK in Norway, SVT in Sweden and Yle in Finland.
During the programme, a Danish counter-intelligence officer will warn the sabotage plans are being prepared in case of a full conflict with the West.
Meanwhile, the head of Norwegian intelligence has told the broadcasters the espionage was considered highly important for Russia and controlled directly from Moscow.
As part of the operations, broadcasters have revealed they analysed intercepted Russian communications which indicate so-called ghost ships sailing in Nordic waters which have turned off the transmitters, preventing their locations from being shared.
The report focuses on a Russian vessel called the Admiral Vladimirsky – an underwater research vessel the report alleges is in fact a Russian spy ship.
The documentary uses an anonymous former UK Royal Navy expert to track the movements of the vessel, which moved within the vicinity of seven wind farms off the coast of the UK and the Netherlands on one mission.
It suggests the vessel slows down when it approaches areas where there are wind farms and loiters in the area.
In the programme, a reporter approaching the ship on a small boat was confronted by a masked individual carrying what appeared to be a military assault rifle.
When approached for comment, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “The government takes the security and resilience of our national infrastructure very seriously. That is why we increased Royal Navy presence patrols after the Nord Stream incident and have invested £65m in the first of our two multi-role ocean surveillance ships. We continue to review all our investments and activities against the full range of threats and risks.”