It uses "research ships": Media reveal how Russia spies in the Baltic Sea

Russia is actively collecting data on gas pipelines, submarine cables, wind farms, and military infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. The aggressor country disguises its activities as "research missions."

These are the conclusions of a journalistic investigation conducted as part of the "Russian Spy Ships" project. The German TV channels NDR and WDR, as well as the Süddeutsche Zeitung, worked on the material.

As the journalists found out, Russia uses special ships that are officially engaged in oceanographic research but are actually equipped with sensitive equipment for gathering intelligence. Most of them are subordinated to the Russian Navy or the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Since the beginning of the full-scale war against Ukraine, at least 72 of these ships have made more than 400 voyages. Investigators analyzed thousands of Morse code radio messages and satellite images. They found that Russian ships repeatedly performed suspicious maneuvers near critical infrastructure, moving slowly and with their identification systems turned off.

Experts believe that such maneuvers could be used to accurately measure underwater objects, possibly to prepare sabotage. The head of the German Federal Intelligence Service, Bruno Kahl, confirmed the existence of a serious threat from Russia, noting that Russia is intensifying its actions against Western critical infrastructure.

One of the objects targeted by Russia is the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia. After suspicious actions by Russian vessels, it was damaged by the anchor of a Chinese ship, which is being investigated as possible sabotage.

A former crew member of the Russian research vessel "Sibiryakov" confirmed Russia's interest in other countries' critical infrastructure. He stated that the main purpose of these ships is to scan the seabed for further use of information for military purposes.

As a reminder, in Ireland, Russia was called one of the few countries trying to spy on the territory of this state. In particular, the Russians are looking for information about the Irish industry.

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