Russian Tanker Spotted Making Suspicious Moves Near Undersea Cable
The Poland’s military was called into action after a Russian “shadow fleet” vessel was spotted carrying out suspicious movements near a key undersea power cable connecting Poland with Sweden, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday.
According to Tusk, the vessel was seen operating unusually close to the 600-megawatt submarine cable that links Karlshamn, Sweden, to Ustka in northern Poland. He shared the update on the social media platform X, stating that following swift military intervention, the ship returned to a Russian port.
The ship was later identified as the Sun, a tanker flying the flag of Antigua, as reported by Vice Admiral Krzystof Jaworski, commander of Poland’s Maritime Component.
“Shadow fleet” refers to a group of vessels Russia is said to be using to bypass Western sanctions by transporting oil, weapons, and grain under opaque ownership structures.
Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters that a patrol aircraft had responded to the threat and scared the vessel away. He added that the Polish Navy’s ORP Heweliusz was dispatched to the location for further assessment.
At a news conference, Kosiniak-Kamysz talked about the severity of the situation, saying “how dangerous the times we live in are” and how serious the security risks in the Baltic Sea have become. He said that the area has become increasingly volatile, especially after Sweden and Finland joined NATO, with the most common incidents involving cable disruptions and suspected sabotage.
The incident follows multiple unexplained damages to critical infrastructure such as power cables, gas pipelines, and communication links since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The 600-megawatt cable remains functional. A spokesperson for Poland’s grid operator PDE confirmed its operational status and stated that, as of 11:30 GMT on Wednesday, over 600 megawatts of electricity were flowing from Poland to Sweden.
Tensions in the region have been escalating, with suspicions around Russia’s use of its shadow fleet in undersea sabotage. In December 2024, Finnish authorities detained the tanker Eagle S, also linked to the shadow fleet, on suspicion that it had damaged a subsea cable between Finland and Estonia using its anchor.
Last week, Estonia warned that Russia could be prepared to protect its shadow fleet with military force. This statement followed an incident where Estonian forces intercepted a suspicious ship in their territorial waters.
Although the Russian embassy in Warsaw declined to comment on the latest incident, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded on Wednesday, stating that Russia would defend its vessels in the Baltic using “all means” available.
Meanwhile, Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson said that Sweden was closely monitoring the situation and remained in contact with allies. He assured that Swedish authorities were prepared to respond to any further developments.
Kosiniak-Kamysz made it clear that any attack on Baltic Sea infrastructure would face a “firm response” from both Poland and NATO. An emergency meeting on the matter is expected to take place on Thursday, attended by Prime Minister Tusk.
References: Reuters, First Post
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