Print this page

Royal Navy monitors suspected Russian spy ship just two miles from coast

Royal Navy monitors suspected Russian spy ship just two miles from coast

The Royal Navy has closely monitored a Russian cargo vessel after it spent around fourteen hours stationary above sensitive undersea data cables in the Bristol Channel, just two miles from Minehead. The ship, Sinegorsk, arrived late at night and anchored near multiple telecommunications cables linking the UK with the USA, Canada, Spain,. and Portugal. The vessel’s last recorded port was Arkhangelsk, a key base for the Russian Navy’s northern fleet. Surveillance aircraft and a helicopter were deployed, after which the ship departed westwards. While MoD sources suggested the stop may have been due to poor weather, politicians and security experts described the behaviour as suspicious, given previous incidents involving Russian interference with undersea infrastructure. The episode has renewed concerns over the vulnerability of critical national communications and the ongoing security challenges facing the UK amid heightened geopolitical tensions.