INSIDE A SPY SHIP
This Russian ‘research’ vessel has been coasting through European waters, but what’s it looking for?
WORDSSCOTT DUTFIELD
Yantar was spotted transiting through the English Channel
UK MOD © Crown copyright 2023
I n January 2025, a Russian research vessel called Yantar was spotted loitering around the English Channel and the North Sea. Yantar is part of Russia’s Main Directorate of Underwater Research, which the UK’s Ministry of Defence says is “used for gathering intelligence and mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure,” such as submarine pipelines and cables.
Around the world, there are hundreds of active submarine cables spanning hundreds of thousands of miles. These cables are responsible for carrying power between continents, as well as transmitting internet traffic and telecommunications. If these cables are damaged it can cause major disruptions to the connected nations. A ship can cause this damage by dragging its anchor along the seabed across the cable or pipeline. In December 2024, Finnish authorities took command of Eagle S, an oil tanker owned by a Dubai-based company suspected of severing submarine cables with its anchor in the Baltic Sea. The damaged cable, called Estlink 2, is one of two cables that carries electricity from Finland to Estonia and will take several months to repair.