Russia carries out “systematic espionage” in the Baltic Sea, according to journalistic investigation
Russia carries out suspected systematic espionage activities in the Baltic Sea through a fleet of ships that pretend to be vessels dedicated to science, according to a journalistic investigation released on Tuesday in Germany.
In this investigation, in which the German public television channels NDR and WDR and the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung participated, since the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine in 2022, a A total of 72 Russian ships made 400 trips through that area of northeastern Europe, in something that these media call “systematic espionage”.
The ship’s maneuvers, which include keep it still for hours in the same placenear underwater or maritime infrastructure such as cables or wind farms, are registered in Germany as more than threatening behavior.
Bruno Kahl, president of the Federal Information Service (BND), told the NDR, the WDR and the Süddeutsche Zeitung that his institution considers this behavior a “very real danger.”
“The speed with which Russia is increasing tensions and also accelerating its own preparations to act militarily against the West gives us reasons to look very concretely at these threats, espionage and sabotage”, stressed Kahl.
The ‘media’ identifies the presence of these ships in the Baltic as part of Moscow’s “hybrid war” against the West.
“A Russia invested a lot in submarine warfare in recent decades. This includes the regular fleet of submarines, but also mini-submarines that can be launched discreetly from larger ships, as well as drones and underwater divers”, emphasize the authors of the investigation on German public television ARD, which revealed on Tuesday part from the investigation into Russia’s so-called “spy ships”.
Russia invaded Ukraine with the argument of protecting pro-Russian separatist minorities in the east and “denazifying” the neighboring country, which has been independent since 1991 – after the breakup of the former Soviet Union – and which has been moving away from its space of influence. Moscow and getting closer to Europe and the West.
The war in Ukraine has already claimed tens of thousands of lives on both sides, and recent months have been marked by large-scale airstrikes by Russia against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, while Kiev’s forces have targeted targets on nearby Russian territory. border and on the Crimean peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014.
Already in the third year of the war, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were faced with a lack of soldiers and weapons and ammunition, despite repeated promises of help from the Western allies, which began to materialize.
In recent weeks, Russian troops, more numerous and better equipped, have continued their advance on the eastern front, despite the Ukrainian offensive in Russia, in the Kursk region.
Negotiations between the two parties have been completely blocked since spring 2022, with Moscow continuing to demand that Ukraine accept the annexation of part of its territory.
