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Dutch Navy Escorts Russian Spy Ship Yantar Out of North Sea Near Critical Cables
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
The Dutch Ministry of Defence confirmed that the Russian vessel Yantar was escorted out of the North Sea this week after operating near critical undersea infrastructure within the Netherlands’ exclusive economic zone, according to a statement released on November 6.
Two Royal Netherlands Navy ships—the hydrographic survey vessel HNLMS Snellius and the offshore patrol vessel HNLMS Friesland—were deployed to monitor and escort the Yantar, which had been operating just outside Dutch territorial waters. The Russian ship left the area on Tuesday afternoon.
“The Russian ship Yantar was operating earlier this week in the Dutch part of the North Sea, outside territorial waters. After monitoring by the Dutch navy, the ship left this zone under escort on Tuesday afternoon,” the Dutch Defence Ministry said.
“The MIVD (Defence Intelligence and Security Service) has been warning of Russian research vessels, including the Yantar, for some time. This well-known Russian ship could be deployed to map our maritime infrastructure.”
The ministry added that the HNLMS Snellius also conducted a survey of the seabed in the same area to assess the condition of local undersea systems, including communication and energy cables.
The Yantar, operated by the Russian Navy’s Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI), is officially classified as a research vessel but widely believed to support intelligence-gathering and special operations. The ship has previously been tracked near key subsea data cables and pipelines across Europe.
Maritime tracking data placed the vessel almost stationary on November 2 near 53.8°N, 5.9°E, close to the routes of the Atlantic Crossing-1 and IOEMA fibre-optic cables. Analysts have noted that Yantar has appeared in similar zones before, raising concerns it may be conducting seabed reconnaissance.
Recent imagery also shows new radomes installed on the ship, hinting at upgraded surveillance or communications systems. Dutch defence sources said that although the vessel technically remained outside national waters, its proximity to critical seabed infrastructure justified “close, persistent monitoring.”
Earlier, the Yantar was escorted out of Irish waters by the Irish Defense Forces on Friday after it was detected operating near critical undersea cables that connect Ireland and the UK.
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