Updated
Updated · UNITED24 Media · Aug 17
Russia Sends 1 Frigate Off Fehmarn With Transponder Off as Putin Threatens EU, UK Ships
Updated
Updated · UNITED24 Media · Aug 17

Russia Sends 1 Frigate Off Fehmarn With Transponder Off as Putin Threatens EU, UK Ships

2 articles · Updated · UNITED24 Media · Aug 17

Summary

  • Admiral Kasatonov was spotted off Germany’s Fehmarn island last week with its location transponder switched off, marking the second Russian warship seen in the Baltic waterway in recent weeks.
  • The deployment followed Vladimir Putin’s warning that Moscow would retaliate against British and EU vessels trying to seize Russia-linked ships, after Western moves against Russia’s sanctioned oil “shadow fleet.”
  • Fehmarn sits near the Danish straits—the main Baltic route to the North Sea—making the frigate’s presence at a key chokepoint a fresh test near German, Danish and allied surveillance.
  • Commissioned in 2020, the 135-meter Project 22350 frigate is one of Russia’s most modern surface combatants, able to carry 16 vertical-launch missiles including Kalibr, Oniks and Zircon.
  • The sighting adds to wider NATO concern as US intelligence has warned Moscow could be preparing hybrid operations against Poland and the Baltic states, including sabotage and possible false-flag incidents.

Insights

With Russian warships sailing covertly near German shores, is Moscow preparing a devastating strike on Baltic undersea infrastructure?
Will the West's aggressive crackdown on Russia's shadow fleet ultimately provoke the very hybrid warfare it seeks to prevent?