Russia has been accused of acquiring civilian fishing trawlers to conduct 27 intelligence operations in Swedish waters within the last five years, a joint-investigation by several Nordic broadcasters has revealed.
According to the report published by SVT Nyheter, Russian intelligence operatives modified civilian vessels such as fishing trawlers, cargo ships, and yachts to undertake covert surveillance and reconnaissance missions on behalf of the Kremlin, stopping in at least eight Swedish ports in recent years.
“We can do no more than keep them under surveillance,” Jimmie Adamsson, a Swedish Navy press officer told the broadcaster.
Such vessels reportedly took particular interest in offshore wind farms and the locations of vital power and communication cables that run along the seabed.
“That type of movement and behavior is something that we note. It could become a threat if the situation around the world were to deteriorate further; electricity cables and communication cables are of course important for a country,” Adamsson explained.
Two vessels that aroused suspicion were searched by Norwegian security police after arriving in the Norwegian town of Kirkenes last November, where officers found old Soviet radio equipment stored covertly on board. The analog radio equipment discovered was of a type with a particularly long range, capable of reporting back to Moscow.
The report by Nordic broadcasters estimates at least 27 vessels of a similar nature have been acquired by the Russian state to enter Swedish territorial waters and report back to the Kremlin in the past five years.
These vessels have docked at some of Sweden’s busiest ports including Gävle, central Sweden’s largest logistics hub; Kalmar, a vital imports and exports hub with key Swedish Armed Forces naval training areas nearby; and Halmstad, which has a Swedish military college nearby as well as the headquarters of Sweden’s only anti-aircraft regiment.
“It is a business that we follow. State ships, i.e., ships owned by the Russian state, need permission to enter Swedish territory. But if the operation is camouflaged as an ordinary civilian merchant ship, it can be difficult for us to do anything about it,” said Adamsson.
Sweden has not yet become a ratified member of the NATO defense alliance, despite applying in May of last year following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Accession Protocol for Swedish membership was signed by all members last July, however parliamentary ratification has yet been achieved in both Hungary and Turkey.
