“uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç reported earlier this year how Dutch and later Belgian authorities had signalled concerns that Russian assets were mapping wind farm infrastructure in the North Sea ahead of possible sabotage operations.
On Wednesday, Danish reporters with the DR news service footage taken in November which they said showed an encounter with the Russian vessel Admiral Vladimirsky, off the coast of Sjællands Odde in the Danish Kattaget – the strait between Denmark and Sweden.
The Admiral Vladimirsky is officially an oceanic research vessel according to the Russian Ministry of Defence.
The video clip showed the film crew in a dinghy approach the much larger Russian vessel, which appeared to sport an array of antennae.
Several crew members could be seen on the deck of the ship, while a man wearing a balaclava and carrying what appeared to be a rifle was also recorded aboard the Russian ship by the Danish media team
'Shadow War'
The footage forms part of a joint documentary investigation called 'The Shadow War' co-authored by public broadcasters DR from Denmark, plus Norway’s NRK, Sweden’s SVT and Yle from Finland.
The investigation explores claims of Russian intelligence operations in Northern European waters made by authorities in several European states including the Dutch military intelligence service MIVD and Vincent Van Quickenborne, Belgium’s North Sea minister.
DR claims its reporters also acquired intercepted Russian Navy radio communications which allegedly reveal the presence of Russian “ghost ships” in Northern European waters that reportedly turned off their AIS identification systems — an action also reported by the Belgian authorities.
The Dutch MIVD for its part co-authored a report with the country’s General Intelligence Service AIVD detailing several possible threats Russia posed to energy infrastructure in the North Sea including the potential sabotage of wind farms in the region.
The Netherlands expelled several Russian diplomatic staff in February over accusations of espionage amid heightened tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier this month Norway followed suit, expelling 15 Russian embassy staff members on April 13 after alleging they were carrying out intelligence activities under diplomatic cover.
The Russian Embassy in London was contacted for comment by “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç but had not responded at the time of publication.
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