Latest news with #Russian-crewed
Russia Today
12-02-2025
- Russia Today
Germany probes warship ‘sabotage'
Germany has launched an investigation into potential sabotage involving a newly commissioned warship after several dozen kilograms of metal shavings were discovered in its engine system, local media reported on Tuesday. The issue with the corvette-class Emden was reportedly discovered during an inspection at a shipyard in Hamburg last month shortly before its first departure, according to the Sueddeutsche Zeitung and the broadcasters NDR and WDR. The 89-meter-long warship, intended for deployment in the Baltic Sea, had not yet been delivered to the German Navy when the metal shavings were discovered. This could have caused significant damage to the vessel if not detected in time, the report said. The German Navy has commissioned a total of five corvette-class ships, including the Emden, which is set to be used for maritime surveillance. READ MORE: NATO nation clears Russian-crewed ship in sabotage probe A shipyard spokesperson told the media that the Emden recently completed 'a successful sea trial,' but declined to comment further. The incident is now under investigation by the Hamburg regional prosecutor's office and the local criminal police. While the report did not provide evidence linking Moscow to the incident, it claimed that Germany, along with other NATO countries, suspects Russia could be behind covert actions targeting the West. The article cited a recent police investigation into drone sightings over a northern German air base where Ukrainian forces are trained, claiming the incident is part of a growing trend of drones being spotted over military and industrial sites in Germany. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, German Navy Chief Jan Christian Kaack refrained from commenting on the sabotage allegations regarding the Emden, but stated that several German warships had previously sustained damage due to acts of sabotage. 'Our assessment: We are being tested,' he said, without specifying who the Navy suspects to be responsible for these acts. 'The growing threat from Russia is more pressing at the beginning of 2025 than it was two years ago,' Kaack said. 'Experts and intelligence services agree that Russia will be in a position to seek conflict with NATO from 2029 onwards,' he added. READ MORE: NATO steps up patrols in Baltic Sea Russia has denied having any intention of attacking NATO states, with President Vladimir Putin describing warnings about Russian aggression as 'nonsense' aimed at alarming citizens and increasing defense budgets in the West. The warship case follows a string of incidents involving damage to critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, with speculation that Russia could have played a role. Western officials have refrained, however, from making direct accusations. Moscow has dismissed allegations of its involvement as 'absurd.' Meanwhile, NATO has increased its Baltic Sea presence and stepped up patrols in the region on the pretext of an alleged Russian threat and protecting undersea infrastructure. The Baltic Sea – a strategic area for Russian naval operations and energy exports – became, as Moscow put it, an 'internal lake of NATO' after Finland and Sweden joined the alliance, which left Russia controlling only a small portion of the coastline.
Russia Today
09-02-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Russian telecom provider reports Baltic Sea cable damage
Russia's leading telecommunications provider, Rostelecom, has confirmed that one of its underwater cables in the Baltic Sea has been damaged due to external impact. 'Rostelecom's underwater cable was damaged in the Baltic Sea as a result of external influence,' the company said in a statement released for the media on Saturday. It added that services remain operational and that repairs are underway. Authorities have yet to determine the precise cause of the damage. Earlier the same day, the Finnish Coast Guard said it was overseeing the repair operation in Finland's exclusive economic zone, where a Russian vessel is conducting the work. 'The Gulf of Finland Coast Guard monitors compliance with the Economic Zone Act and the conditions for the use of the economic zone, where repair work on the damaged Russian cable is underway by a Russian vessel,' the agency wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Read more NATO nation clears Russian-crewed ship in sabotage probe Cable damage in the Baltic Sea has become more frequent, with Sweden, Norway, and Finland reporting similar incidents in recent months. Concerns have grown over the security of subsea energy and data infrastructure, though officials have not found definitive evidence of sabotage. NATO recently expanded surveillance operations following suspected sabotage, with speculation circulating that Russia could have played a role in the incidents. Earlier this month, Norwegian authorities cleared a Russian-crewed vessel after finding no evidence linking it to recent damage to an undersea fiber optic cable connecting Latvia and Sweden. The Norwegian-owned vessel, which operates between St. Petersburg and Murmansk, was detained in January following a request from Latvian authorities. The Kremlin has denied allegations of involvement in undersea cable damage, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissing the accusations as baseless. 'It is quite absurd to continue to blame Russia for everything without any reason,' he said.
CNN
31-01-2025
- CNN
Norway seizes Russian-crewed ship on suspicion of causing ‘serious damage' to undersea cable between Latvia and Sweden
Norwegian police have seized a Russian-crewed ship on suspicion of being involved in causing 'serious damage' to a fiber cable in the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Sweden. Troms Police in northern Norway located the Silver Dania ship on Thursday evening, following a request from Latvian authorities, and it was brought into the port of Tromso Friday morning, according to a police statement. 'There is suspicion that the ship has been involved in serious damage to a fiber cable in the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Sweden. The police are conducting an operation on the ship to search, conduct interviews, and secure evidence,' the statement said. The Silver Dania is Norwegian-registered and Norwegian-owned, police said, but the crew on board is Russian. The ship was sailing between St. Petersburg and Murmansk in Russia, police said. The owners of the Silver Dania, the Silver Sea shipping group, told CNN they were not involved in damaging the cable. 'The investigation has been going on today and we have had good cooperation with the authorities,' Tormod Fossmark, CEO of Silver Group, told CNN. He added that authorities had not yet found any links connecting the ship with the damaged cable, and the crew has been allowed to prepare the Silver Dania to set sail Friday night. The incident marks the second ship to be seized on suspicion of carrying out sabotage in the last week, after the Swedish Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed Sunday it had boarded a ship following suspected damage to the communications cable running between Sweden and Latvia. Latvia said the damage was likely caused by external forces. This event was the latest in a string of incidents since late 2022, with damage being caused to Europe's infrastructure running along the bottom of the Baltic Sea — pipes carrying natural gas and cables transporting electricity and data. Such incidents have become more frequent over the past couple of years, raising suspicions they are the result of sabotage and triggering a flurry of investigations by European officials — with some openly pointing fingers at Moscow. Russia has denied allegations of involvement in underwater cable sabotage. The Russian Embassy in London last week said NATO was building up naval and air forces under the 'fictitious pretext of the 'Russian threat.'' CNN's Anna Cooban, Nic Robertson and Sarah Dean contributed reporting.
CNN
31-01-2025
- CNN
Norway seizes Russian-crewed ship on suspicion of causing ‘serious damage' to undersea cable between Latvia and Sweden
Norwegian police have seized a Russian-crewed ship on suspicion of being involved in causing 'serious damage' to a fiber cable in the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Sweden. Troms Police in northern Norway located the Silver Dania ship on Thursday evening, following a request from Latvian authorities, and it was brought into the port of Tromso Friday morning, according to a police statement. 'There is suspicion that the ship has been involved in serious damage to a fiber cable in the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Sweden. The police are conducting an operation on the ship to search, conduct interviews, and secure evidence,' the statement said. The Silver Dania is Norwegian-registered and Norwegian-owned, police said, but the crew on board is Russian. The ship was sailing between St. Petersburg and Murmansk in Russia, police said. The owners of the Silver Dania, the Silver Sea shipping group, told CNN they were not involved in damaging the cable. 'The investigation has been going on today and we have had good cooperation with the authorities,' Tormod Fossmark, CEO of Silver Group, told CNN. He added that authorities had not yet found any links connecting the ship with the damaged cable, and the crew has been allowed to prepare the Silver Dania to set sail Friday night. The incident marks the second ship to be seized on suspicion of carrying out sabotage in the last week, after the Swedish Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed Sunday it had boarded a ship following suspected damage to the communications cable running between Sweden and Latvia. Latvia said the damage was likely caused by external forces. This event was the latest in a string of incidents since late 2022, with damage being caused to Europe's infrastructure running along the bottom of the Baltic Sea — pipes carrying natural gas and cables transporting electricity and data. Such incidents have become more frequent over the past couple of years, raising suspicions they are the result of sabotage and triggering a flurry of investigations by European officials — with some openly pointing fingers at Moscow. Russia has denied allegations of involvement in underwater cable sabotage. The Russian Embassy in London last week said NATO was building up naval and air forces under the 'fictitious pretext of the 'Russian threat.'' CNN's Anna Cooban, Nic Robertson and Sarah Dean contributed reporting.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Yahoo
Norway seizes Russian-crewed ship on suspicion of causing ‘serious damage' to undersea cable between Latvia and Sweden
Norwegian police have seized a Russian-crewed ship on suspicion of being involved in causing 'serious damage' to a fiber cable in the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Sweden. Troms Police in northern Norway located the Silver Dania ship on Thursday evening, following a request from Latvian authorities, and it was brought into the port of Tromso Friday morning, according to a police statement. 'There is suspicion that the ship has been involved in serious damage to a fiber cable in the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Sweden. The police are conducting an operation on the ship to search, conduct interviews, and secure evidence,' the statement said. The Silver Dania is Norwegian-registered and Norwegian-owned, police said, but the crew on board is Russian. The ship was sailing between St. Petersburg and Murmansk in Russia, police said. The owners of the Silver Dania, the Silver Sea shipping group, told CNN they were not involved in damaging the cable. 'The investigation has been going on today and we have had good cooperation with the authorities,' Tormod Fossmark, CEO of Silver Group, told CNN. He added that authorities had not yet found any links connecting the ship with the damaged cable, and the crew has been allowed to prepare the Silver Dania to set sail Friday night. The incident marks the second ship to be seized on suspicion of carrying out sabotage in the last week, after the Swedish Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed Sunday it had boarded a ship following suspected damage to the communications cable running between Sweden and Latvia. Latvia said the damage was likely caused by external forces. This event was the latest in a string of incidents since late 2022, with damage being caused to Europe's infrastructure running along the bottom of the Baltic Sea — pipes carrying natural gas and cables transporting electricity and data. Such incidents have become more frequent over the past couple of years, raising suspicions they are the result of sabotage and triggering a flurry of investigations by European officials — with some openly pointing fingers at Moscow. Russia has denied allegations of involvement in underwater cable sabotage. The Russian Embassy in London last week said NATO was building up naval and air forces under the 'fictitious pretext of the 'Russian threat.'' CNN's Anna Cooban, Nic Robertson and Sarah Dean contributed reporting.
