Several European navies have spent the past week escorting Russian vessels as they travelled through the North Sea. One of the ships, the Yantar, is known for its intelligence-gathering capabilities and is suspected of mapping undersea cables and infrastructure.
According to the Dutch Ministry of Defence, at least four Russian ships were accompanied as they passed through international waters. These included the research ship Yantar, the oil tanker Yelnya, and the frigate Stoiky. Later in the week, the research vessel Akademik Federov was escorted by the Dutch navy ship Zr.Ms. Galatea.
Before and after entering Dutch waters, other European naval forces also took turns monitoring and accompanying the Russian ships along their route.
Intelligence agencies across Europe are paying close attention to Russian research vessels, which are capable of surveying vital underwater infrastructure such as power and communication cables. Some tankers from the“shadow fleet” have previously been suspected of damaging undersea cables by dragging their anchors.
All escort operations took place without incident and occurred in international waters, where all nations are free to sail under international maritime law.
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