Sabotage fears as Russian ship checks out Scottish wind farms
Claims the vessel was tracking undersea infrastructure
There are claims a Russian "spy" ship has been gathering intelligence at wind farms off the east coast of Scotland – and others in the North Sea – following an investigation by European broadcasters.
A joint report compiled in Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway claims the ship Admiral Vladimirsky was part of an operation to map undersea infrastructure.
While officially classified as an ocean research vessel, the report says it is part of a fleet which is examining key energy sites for possible sabotage.
Danish broadcaster DR has published video of an encounter at sea between a small boat carrying their team and the Russian ship, filmed off the Danish coast in November.
It shows a man, wearing a balaclava and military gear, and carrying an assault rifle, appearing on the deck of the Admiral Vladimirsky.
The ship is thought to have entered the Moray Firth on November 10 2022 and then moved to the Seagreen wind farm off the Angus coast.
Alert after pipeline explosion
There has been an increased focus on the safety of North Sea infrastructure amid heightened tensions with Russia, particularly in the wake of the attack on the Nord Stream pipeline.
The UK Government's Ben Wallace spoke about the importance of protecting undersea internet cables when European defence ministers met in Edinburgh last year for a Joint Expeditionary Force summit.
He said that Norway's oil and gas infrastructure was "particularly vulnerable" as it had become Europe's main supplier.
The Royal Navy is purchasing two dedicated subsea surveillance ships which are expected to come into service this year.
An MoD spokesman said: "The Government takes the security and resilience of our national infrastructure very seriously.
"That is why we increased Royal Navy presence patrols after the Nord Stream incident and have invested £65 million in the first of our two Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance ships.
"We continue to review all our investments and activities against the full range of threats and risks."
The big names boycotting Russia
Companies shut up shop in Russia
Following the invasion of Ukraine, Swedish furniture shop IKEA was one of the first companies to halt trading in Russia. All of IKEA's Russian shops closed on March 4th, leading to large queues in the days beforehand. Several other businesses followed suit - including McDonald's, Apple, Netflix and Google.
Netflix
Video-streaming service Netflix initially took a cautious approach to the situation, halting all upcoming productions based in Russia. However, the company later announced that the entire service would be withdrawn from Russia altogether.
Airbnb
Around the same time as IKEA had announced it would halt trading in Russia, home-rental business Airbnb made a similar move. As a result, all Russian Airbnbs have been removed from the site, alongside those in Belarus, a key ally of Russia's offensive.
McDonald's
After thirty years of service, fast food chain McDonald's announced it would temporarily close all 850 branches of the company in Russia. Speaking to employees, McDonald's' CEO Chris Kempckinski said that "our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine." All workers would continue to be paid whilst the closures took place.
Coca-Cola Company
A number of food and drink companies - including Coca-Cola also announced on March 8th that they would no longer be supplying drinks to Russian businesses and halt business operations in the country indefinitely. The Coca-Cola company also produces other soft drinks such as Sprite and Fanta.
Apple and Google Pay
At the beginning of March, both tech giants Apple and Google announced it would no longer support their payment services in Russia. The result led to large queues throughout Russia, as many struggled to pay for transport and shopping. Both Apple and Google have expanded their withdrawal, saying that it would freeze its business in Russia.
VISA and Mastercard
In addition to the freezing of Apple and Google Pay, other payment companies such as VISA and Mastercard announced they would also suspend their services in Russia. Those with valid cards could still continue to use their cards until their expiry date, but continued to cripple the Russian economy, as 74% of debit and credit card transactions were using Visa and Mastercard services.
'Extremely worrying'
Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), the trade body for the offshore sector, said the safety of their installations was a matter of ongoing discussion with the Government.
Operations director Mark Wilson said: "Offshore Energies UK remains engaged with relevant Government bodies, including the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (formally BEIS); North Sea Transition Authority; Health & Safety Executive; and Police Scotland, on resilience and security of UK energy supply.
"We also operate the OEUK security committee at which relevant Government bodies provide briefings.
"The physical security of offshore and onshore energy infrastructure continues to be part of these regular engagements."
Angus Robertson, the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, said that the reports are "worrying".
He tweeted: "Extremely worrying new reports about Russian programme to sabotage wind farms and communication cables off the Scottish coast and elsewhere in the North Sea."