In a surprising turn of events, Russian ships have returned to Ireland’s west coast despite appearing to have set sail for Africa. This unexpected development has caught the attention of experts and observers alike, fueling speculation about the motives behind the ships’ movements and raising questions about the state of Russia’s global relations. In this article, we will explore the details of this curious situation and attempt to shed light on what it all means.
Russian government vessels equipped with technology capable of interfering with subsea cables have returned to the west coast after causing alarm among defence officials. The two Russian flagged ships, the Umka and the Bakhtemir, were spotted engaging in unusual manoeuvrers off the Galway coast in Ireland, in the vicinity of a newly opened subsea communications cable.
As we previously reported, the Defence Forces deployed ships and aircraft to keep track of the vessels, which later turned south and appeared to resume their originally charted journey to the port of Malabo in Equatorial Guinea on the west coast of Africa.
Subsequent analysis determined the ships were trying to avoid bad weather by doubling back. However, on Thursday night just before leaving the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the ships turned around again and began sailing back up the west coast, causing further confusion about their intentions.
As of Friday afternoon, the Naval Service had no ships at sea due to a lack of personnel. Work continued to determine the ships’ intentions and whether they are simply continuing to shelter from storms in the North Atlantic.
Both ships had been involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, resulting in them being sanctioned by the US government. EU countries, including Ireland, have stepped up surveillance of vital subsea infrastructure since the explosions that disabled the Nord Stream pipelines last year. The culprits have not been identified, although the US, Russia and Ukrainian groups have all been accused of being behind the attack.
The Umka is an offshore supply vessel that is believed to be towing a cable-laying barge. The Bakhtemir is classified as a salvage and rescue ship equipped with diving platforms and high-tech submersibles capable of deep water work on infrastructure. Both are operated by the Russian Marine Rescue Services, which was also sanctioned by the US for its involvement in Nord Stream 2.
On Thursday Yuriy Filatov, Russia’s ambassador to Ireland, criticised reporting of the presence of Russian ships off the west coast. He said the real threat to international maritime infrastructure lies elsewhere and said there are “serious grounds” to believe the US was behind the Nord Stream explosions.
The presence of Russian ships has raised concerns globally. Countries around the world rely on undersea communication cables for everything from internet traffic to bank transfers. The US has expressed concern about these cables and their vulnerability to sabotage, as over 90% of global trade flows through them.
There have been previous incidents of alleged Russian interference with undersea cables. In 2018, a Russian Navy vessel was accused of interfering with cables in the North Sea, while in 2020, the US publicly accused Russia of having conducted training exercises aimed at disrupting undersea cables in the Arctic.
While Russian officials have dismissed concerns about their activities, the issue highlights the risks posed to global communications networks by acts of sabotage or espionage. As reliance on digital communications continues to grow, protecting undersea infrastructure will become increasingly important.
