According to an investigation carried out and published simultaneously on Wednesday morning by broadcasters in several countries, including the BBC, DR (Denmark), SVT (Sweden) and NRK (Finland).

According to the sources cited, Russia has a fleet of ships disguised as fishing and research vessels operating in the North Sea, which are actually equipped to monitor and map key infrastructures targeted for possible acts of sabotage.

The BBC points out that British officials know that Russian ships are moving in the waters around the UK as part of this secret program created by Russia.

A Danish counterintelligence officer quoted by the investigation says the sabotage plans were prepared in case the war in Ukraine escalates into a conflict with the West, while the head of Norwegian intelligence told investigative journalists that the program is considered very important by Russia and is controlled directly from Moscow .

Communications intercepted and analyzed for the report show that there are so-called Russian “ghost ships” operating in the North Sea that have turned off their transmitters and are therefore untraceable, the most famous of which is the Admiral Volodymyrskyi.

Officially, this is a ship for oceanographic expeditions, therefore research. But the investigation claims that it is actually a Russian reconnaissance ship.

Russian “ghost ships” circle over critical infrastructure in the North Sea

A source in the British Royal Navy told investigative journalists that during one of its spying missions, the ship was spotted in close proximity to seven wind farms off the coast of Great Britain and the Netherlands.

They explained that the ship slows down as it approaches wind farm sites and remains in the area for no apparent reason. According to the same source, “Admiral Volodymyrsky” was floating in the North Sea for a month with the transmitter turned off.

As one of the reporters involved in the investigation approached the vessel in a small craft, he was confronted by a masked crew member holding what appeared to be an assault rifle.

The same vessel was also spotted off the coast of Scotland last year, entering Moray Bay on November 10 and just 30 nautical miles east of Lossiemouth, home to the Royal Air Force Maritime Patrol base.

The BBC notes that officials in London believe the Russian ships are trying to map the seabed in the waters around the British Isles, likely with a range of options in case of conflict with the West.

Suspects that Russia is developing plans to cut communication cables between allies

One possibility is for the ships to prepare the ground for cutting communications cables under the North Sea or the infrastructure linking the wind farms there to the countries they supply electricity to wreak havoc.

Currently, evidence of actual sabotage is more limited than intelligence-gathering data.

But the investigation raises the possibility that the Russian vessels are linked to an incident south of the Svalbard islands last year, when an underwater communications cable was severed. The cable was used by the largest commercial satellite ground station.

Norwegian police say they suspect “human activity” behind the act of sabotage, but have yet to press formal charges.

But Norway’s government last week expelled 15 Russian diplomats, an unusually large number for such a move, claiming the diplomats were actually Moscow intelligence agents.

“These 15 intelligence agents have been declared undesirable because they carry out activities incompatible with their diplomatic status,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Annikan Heitfeldt said in a statement, adding that “this is an important step in countering and reducing the level of activity (by Russian intelligence services in Norway) and, therefore, to protect our national interests.”

The Netherlands directly accused Russia of preparing acts of sabotage against its energy infrastructure

The investigation, released on Wednesday, comes after the MIVD, the Netherlands’ military intelligence service, accused Russia in February of trying to gather intelligence to sabotage critical infrastructure on the Dutch side of the North Sea.

Major General Jan Swillens, director general of the Netherlands’ military intelligence service, said at a press conference he held on February 20 that a Russian ship had been spotted near an offshore wind farm in the North Sea while efforts were being made to map the energy infrastructure there. .

“In recent months, we have seen Russian actors trying to figure out how the North Sea energy system works. I noticed it for the first time,” said Swillens. “Russia is now drawing up a map of how our wind farms in the North Sea work. They are very interested in how they can sabotage the energy infrastructure,” the Dutch general added.

He made the comments while presenting a joint report by the MIVD and the AIVD, the Netherlands’ domestic intelligence service, which said critical offshore infrastructure such as internet cables, gas pipelines and wind farms had become targets for Russian sabotage.

“Russia is covertly mapping this infrastructure and taking actions that indicate preparations for sabotage and disruption,” said a report by two Dutch intelligence agencies.

They also stated that they cannot rule out the possibility of a threat from Russia to the energy and drinking water supply systems in the Netherlands.

The report was published just two days after the Dutch government announced the expulsion of several Russian diplomats, accusing Moscow of constantly bringing spies into the country under the guise of diplomatic missions.

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