What happened
An analysis by The Telegraph based on Global Fishing Watch satellite data found that Russian fishing trawlers loitered above critical communications cables more than 500 times over a four-and-a-half-year period. The ships' satellite tracks were cross-referenced with nautical charts marking undersea cable routes.
Notable examples
The report cites three vessels: one followed the track of nine separate cables in the Atlantic; another loitered near the Hibernia Express before following the route of the Shefa-2 cable linking Shetland to the Faroe Islands; a third partially followed the Amitie and Grace Hopper cables connecting the UK, France and Spain to the US. The ships slowed at times to speeds of two to three knots.
What experts say
A senior naval officer said the suspect ships are large enough to house an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) or remotely operated vehicle (ROV), which could be deployed at very low speeds. According to the officer, such vehicles can map cables with millimeter precision. A NATO representative said, "We're absolutely aware of what Russian civilian fishing ships are up to and where... Some of these ships have never seen a single fish on their deck."
Why it matters
Undersea cables are the backbone of the modern world; according to the report, around $87 billion worth of economic activity passes through this infrastructure. Because most of their length sits in international waters and patrols are impractical, the mere presence of suspicious vessels is generally not grounds for boarding or seizure. The activity is therefore seen as part of Russia's "gray-zone" operations.
