“We. Are. Watching,” says NATO

Ships operating for Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 shadowed the Russian spy ship Yantar and the Northern Fleet destroyer Severomorsk along the North Norwegian coast.

The NATO Maritime Command has shared photos of how allied naval vessels followed the Yantar along the north Norwegian coast. Several of the photos are taken from an aircraft apparently off the coast of the Troms or the Nordland region. Among the allied ships that escort the Yantar is a coast guard vessel. It is not clear from where the photos of the Severomorsk are taken. The Yantar belongs to Russia’s Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research, nicknamed GUGI, and is based in the Olenya Bay on the coast of the Kola Peninsula.

This naval base is home to the fleet of special-purpose mini-submarines previously described in detail by the Barents Observer. In late November, the ship was accused of pointing lasers against pilots of NATO aircraft off the coast of the UK. According to UK defence secretary John Healey, a Royal navy frigate and P-8 aircraft were deployed to “monitor and track” every move of the Russian intelligence ship. The same level of monitoring appears to be in place as the Yantar sails north along the Norwegian coast. “We.

Are. Watching,” the alliance reports on its social media. “NATO’s Standing Naval Forces remain vigilant, professional, and ready — maintaining awareness and ensuring safety across the High North,” the alliance emphasises. The Yantar has the Olenya Bay on the Kola Peninsula as its home base. Since 2015, the vessel has been sailing from the Kola Peninsula on voyages outside the coast of Norway, across the Atlantic, sailing the east coast of North-America from Canada in the north to Cuba in the south.

It carries two small submarines thought to be capable of cutting cables or tapping them for information, a British report reads. Officially, the ship is used for deep-sea research and rescue operations.