A Russian ship has been spotted in the Baltic Sea, raising concerns about potential surveillance on Germany during the Euro football championship.
The Vasily Tatishchev, a surveillance vessel, has been seen navigating the waters between Fehmarn and the Kiel lighthouse, just outside the territories of Germany and Denmark.
This ship, originally based in Kaliningrad, was reportedly tracking NATO’s Baltic Operations units, according to sources from Kieler Nachrichten.
The vessel’s route took it past Rügen and Rostock before approaching Kiel on Wednesday. Federal police have stated they will only take action if the ship enters German or Danish waters.
A representative from the Bad Bramstedt Federal Police Directorate said: “Violations of the shipping regulations have not been identified so far.”
Built in Poland between 1985 and 1988, the Vasily Tatishchev has been in service since 1988 and is one of two such ships operating in the Baltic Sea. While the exact purpose of this mission is not confirmed, it is known that the ship is equipped to intercept cell phone signals and listen in on unencrypted conversations.
Similar incidents in the Baltic Sea have been on the rise, with recent disruptions affecting vital satellite navigation systems. A spokesperson from the Federal Ministry of Defence said: “The ongoing disruptions are most likely of Russian origin and are based on disturbances in the electromagnetic spectrum, originating, among other places, in the Kaliningrad Oblast.”
This is not the first instance of Russian vessels being spotted near European waters under suspicious conditions. Last year, Admiral Vladimirsky, ostensibly a scientific research ship, was seen near the UK, allegedly preparing to disrupt power supplies and cut internet cables.
In 2021, the Yantar spy ship was observed above significant undersea cables off the Irish coast, exhibiting patterns consistent with espionage.