A RUSSIAN vessel suspected of preparing to sabotage the UK power supply and cut internet cables has been unmasked as a spy ship.
A mystery armed guard was seen on the Admiral Vladimirsky, which has been tracked sailing all across the North Sea and along the coast of Britain.
Russia claims the ship is a scientific research vessel but it has long been suspected of being used for espionage.
But now dramatic footage taken by public broadcasters in Denmark,Norway,Sweden and Finland has shown the vessel up close for the first time.
On the deck of the ship, a masked guard brandishing an assault rifle can be seen in distinctive Russian camouflage looking menacingly at the camera.
The ship itself is bristling with antenna and radar, while other shadowy figures lurk on the decks as the camera crew approach.
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Western intelligence believes the ship is part of an extensive programme aimed at mapping offshore wind farms, gas pipelines and power and internet cables.
The aim is to sabotage them in the event of war between Russia and NATO.
While the ship was filmed in the waters between Sweden and Denmark, its shadowy presence was reported near the UK back in October.
The investigation features an interview with a Danish counter-intelligence officer who says the sabotage plans are being prepared in case of a full conflict with the West
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And the head of Norwegian intelligence told the broadcasters the ship’s mission was considered highly important for Russia and controlled directly from Moscow.
With the help of an anonymous former Royal Navy expert, the documentary tracked the movements of the vessel near of wind farms off the coast of the UK.
The Admiral Vladimirskyl slows down when it approaches the wind farms then loiters in the area and reportedly sailed for a month with its transmitter turned off.
According to the independent naval analyst HI Sutton, the Russian vessel has probably mapped power cables on the seabed at the offshore wind farms.
There have been concerns for years Russia is targetting undersea cables.
Earlier this year, another Russian vessel was intercepted in the North Sea by Dutch intelligence services.
Putin’s mysterious cable cutting submarines
RUSSIA is believed to have six submarines dedicated to the cable cutting mission – with the Losharik the most modern and capable.
Only a handful of grainy photographs exist of the vessel and everything known about it comes from educated guesswork.
A fire on board Losharik in 2019 resulted in the deaths of 14 submariners, reportedly including some of the most experienced decorated in the Russian navy.
The Kremlin has never explained what the submarine was doing just 60 miles off the coast of Norway in the first place.
According to submarine expert H.I Sutton, who writes the Covert Shores blog, the submarine is constructed from seven spherical titanium hulls strung together which gives it extraordinary strength.
The vessel is named after a Russian cartoon horse, which is made up of lots of many spheres joined together.
It can operate at up to depths of 3300ft, far greater than conventional submarines and have special attachments allowing them to rest at the bottom of the sea.
The submarines are deployed from the giant Belgorod, itself designed for special operations, and currently the longest submarine currently serving in the world’s navies.
Spies with the Netherlands' MIVD and AIVD said critical offshore infrastructure such as internet cables, gas and electricity pipes and windfarms are the target of Putin's forces.
Much of this infrastructure is shared with the UK.
"Russia is secretly charting this infrastructure and is undertaking activities which indicate preparations for disruption and sabotage", the agencies said.
Major-General Jan Swillens, head of the country’s military intelligence said the interception was made within weeks of attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea last September.
Any attack on internet cables could cut off most data traffic between Europe and the US and send financial markets into turmoil.
A flotilla of Irish fishermen threatened to face down Russian warships which were said to be preparing a "recce mission" off Cork.
Months earlier another Russian spy ship, the Yantar, was spotted zig-zagging over undersea cables near Donegal.
The Yantar – said to have two mini-subs for covert missions – is operated by Russia's Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research (Gugi).
The secretive branch of the military answers directly to Putin and is tasked with black ops and sabotage missions.
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Russia is known to have a number of specialist submarines dedicated to the task.
It is feared Gugi could try to "tap" the cables – intercepting secret communications – or sever them to deliver a catastrophic blow.
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