The activity of Russia’s “ghost fleet” in the Baltic Sea, made up of ships with their transmitters switched off so their movements cannot be tracked, is raising new suspicions about Moscow’s possible role in the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipeline, it shows. a new episode of the investigation conducted jointly by the television companies of the Scandinavian countries.

The first episode of an investigation by journalists from DR (Denmark), NRK (Norway), SVT (Sweden) and Yle (Finland) last month revealed that Russia had a plan to sabotage wind farms and cut communication cables in the Russian North Sea. vessels disguised as fishing and research vessels, but which are actually equipped to monitor and map some of the key infrastructure operating here with their transmitters switched off.

The new episode of the investigation was centered around the suspicious movements of Russian ships before the explosions that rocked and seriously damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines running through the bottom of the Baltic Sea at the end of September last year.

Journalists now believe that in addition to the Admiral Volodymyrsky, the ships that are part of Russia’s “ghost fleet” include an alleged research vessel called the Sibyryakov, a tugboat SB-123 and another vessel that investigators have not yet identified. to identify it.

Investigative journalists were able to track the ships’ movements using intercepted radio communications between them and their bases between June and September 2022. These movements were analyzed by a former British Navy officer who was tasked with intercepting the communications of ships of the Russian Baltic Fleet until 2018. , when he resigned, the BBC reports.

The Russian “ghost fleet” stood near the site of the explosions.

The investigation shows that Russian ships were near the site of the explosions for several hours, and in the case of one of them, for almost a whole day. It is assumed that the vessel “Sibiryakov” is equipped with equipment that allows conducting underwater surveillance and mapping, as well as launching a mini-submarine.

A former officer in the British Royal Navy says that this vessel took an unusual route in June, right around the site of the next Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions, and that it changed its communication pattern using a secret transmitter.

The ship, which investigators have not been able to identify, was also in the area in June.

The third vessel, the naval tug SB-123, arrived in the area only 5 days before the explosions that occurred in September. According to radio communications, he arrived here in the evening and stayed in the area overnight before sailing back to Russia.

Satellite images reviewed by reporters confirm reports of unusual ship routes, while other reports in German media also claim that the SB-123 was in the area on the night of September 21-22.

The ship could be used to support submarines and rescue missions, as well as have capabilities that allow it to conduct operations on the seabed, according to several experts consulted by Scandinavian broadcasters.

Last week, the Danish military confirmed it had taken 26 photos of another Russian SS-750 submarine on September 22 near the site of the Nord Stream explosions four days later.

The SS-750 has a mini submarine with mobile weapons and was specially designed for underwater operations.

The investigation does not claim to have found conclusive evidence that the vessels were behind the explosions, but raises serious doubts about their activity in the area.

General Jan Swillens (PHOTO: Hollandse Hoogte / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia)

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

The first episode of the investigation was released after the MIVD, the Netherlands’ military intelligence service, accused Russia in February of trying to gather information 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.

Denmark accuses Moscow of trying to recruit spies on its territory

This new episode in the investigation into the Scandinavian broadcasters comes just a day after Denmark’s intelligence service (PET) said it expected Russia to recruit civilians and use journalists and businessmen to spy on the country as an alternative to Russian diplomats it expelled last year. on suspicion of espionage.

Danish intelligence explained that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine increased Moscow’s need to gather information in NATO countries. Controlling the entrance to the Baltic Sea, Denmark would play an important strategic role in a potential military conflict with Russia by being a transit point for NATO reinforcements, making the NATO member a particular target for Russia, PET found.

When Denmark, like other EU countries, expelled 15 Russian diplomats last April, it undermined Russia’s ability to spy on Danish soil. But Russia’s need to obtain information in Denmark has increased, and therefore PET expects that Russia will try to use other methods of espionage in Denmark.

“They could place intelligence officers in Denmark outside of diplomatic missions, for example as journalists or businessmen, using visits by intelligence agents so that the Russian intelligence services could increasingly recruit any Danish sources from Russia or from third countries,” the PET warned.

Other methods will include various forms of electronic interception and cyberespionage, the Danish service added.

Gas leakage from Nord Stream gas pipelines (PHOTO: AFP / AFP / Profimedia)

The track of the American press regarding the explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines

The new information came after The New York Times reported in early March this year, citing U.S. officials on condition of anonymity, that a pro-Ukrainian group was responsible for the explosions that shut down gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea last year.

The NYT cited a review of new information that suggested opponents of President Vladimir Putin were responsible for the sabotage, but US officials declined to say who directed or paid for the operation.

They emphasized that this conclusion is not unequivocal and that the possibility that a “proxy force” linked to the Ukrainian government or its security services was behind the attack is not excluded. Ukraine has denied any involvement in sabotage both after the explosions and after the NYT story appeared.

American officials cited by the NYT also said that, despite the speculation that arose in this regard, the evidence available at the time did not indicate the involvement of the Russian state in organizing the sabotage.

A day after this article appeared in the American press, the German weekly Die Zeit published an investigation, which claimed that a yacht chartered by a Polish company allegedly owned by Ukrainians was involved in the attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, but that it was suspected that a “covert operation” conducted under a false flag.

Russia has repeatedly denied its involvement in the explosions, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov only a day ago called on the countries of Northern Europe and Germany to speed up the investigation of the act of sabotage.

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