Russian Spy Ship Escorted Out of NATO Waters After Breakdown

A Russian spy ship, which had experienced mechanical issues, was escorted out of an area bordered by NATO countries, reported OSINT-account Auonsson on X on October 9.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Navy increased the deployment of intelligence ships toward the Atlantic Ocean, closely monitored by NATO.

Last week, the Russian vessel Chusovoy reportedly broke down in the Kattegat, a strait that separates Denmark and Sweden and leads into the North Sea, according to an open-source intelligence account on X.

The Danish outlet Danwatch reported that on Monday, the Chusovoy was seen sailing under the Great Belt Bridge, which connects the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen. The Russian vessel was escorted by the Russian military tugboat SB-123 and was closely watched by a Danish patrol ship.

Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen, a naval analyst at Nordic Defence Analysis, told Danwatch that the Chusovoy may have been inspecting an underwater cable routing near the Anholt Offshore Wind Farm.

“It may also have been a transit passage where they just sail through Danish waters,” he added.

The Chusovoy, part of Russia’s Northern Fleet, is known for intercepting signals from Western submarines. Typically operating in the Barents and Norwegian Seas, the vessel had also passed under the Great Belt Bridge during a rare visit to the Baltic in May.

The exact purpose of this recent trip near NATO waters remains unclear. However, in June, an investigation by Follow the Money and Belgian newspaper De Tijd revealed that Russia’s fleet of suspected spy ships in the North Sea had expanded to nearly 200 civilian vessels.

These vessels, including fishing boats, cargo ships, oil tankers, and research vessels, are suspected of gathering intelligence on critical infrastructure and pipelines.

Earlier, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence (HUR) reported a successful operation on putting the Russian Baltic Fleet minesweeper “Aleksandr Obukhov” out of service on October 7.