The Pentagon suspected a Russian ship of spying on US submarines

OIS "Yantar".
Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

US surveillance ships, aircraft and satellites are closely monitoring the movements of the Russian research vessel Yantar, which was cruising near the US naval nuclear submarine base Kings Bay. According to the Pentagon, the ship can study the routes of American submarines, reports The Washington Free Beacon. The Pentagon also writes that the appearance of “Yantar” has Fox News.

According to The Washington Free Beacon, the Americans have been monitoring the Yantar vessel since the end of August, when it sailed from the North Atlantic towards Cuba. The ship was spotted about 300 miles off the U.S. coast, a senior military official said.

Another source told Fox News that the Pentagon is also tracking another Russian research vessel in international waters. Asked whether there were similar US spy ships off the coast of Russia, a senior official said: “Sure, what do you think all these ‘oceanographic ships’ are doing? Are they studying whales?

US Defense Department officials believe Yantar is collecting intelligence on underwater sensors and other equipment used on American submarines. One of Russia's newest military research ships, launched earlier this year, is part of Moscow's larger strategic intelligence operation aimed at studying American nuclear submarines, missile carriers and other targets, intelligence analysts say.

As one of the Pentagon representatives told reporters, the ship is being closely monitored, as it is equipped with a deep-sea tracking system and equipment for cutting cables. According to the American military department, in addition to submarines, Yantar can also study the transatlantic underwater cable system.

The main object of the study program assigned to Yantar, according to sources, is the Pentagon information network called DoDIN. Having received details about its functioning, Russia will provide itself with an important advantage in the context of confrontation with the West, the military department believes. In addition, information on the system of underwater communications cables could help the Russians choose new methods of waging so-called hybrid warfare, which combines traditional military capabilities with cyberattack techniques, analysts believe.

In early August, the media reported that the Yantar vessel sailed into the Atlantic Ocean to test deep-sea descent vehicles. The Pentagon, meanwhile, officially stated that the military department is aware of the Russian ship.

“We respect the right of all countries to use military vessels in international waters in accordance with international law,” said a spokesman for the defense department.

The oceanographic research vessel "Yantar" is the lead vessel of Project 22010 developed by the Central Marine Design Bureau "Almaz". The ship, built at the Baltic Shipyard of the same name, was laid down on July 8, 2010, on the 65th anniversary of the plant. In honor of this anniversary, the ship was given the name of the enterprise.

In May 2015, Yantar was transferred to the Russian Navy. As the head of the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research of the Ministry of Defense, Vice Admiral Alexey Burilichev, stated then, the vessel is unique in its capabilities, and in some respects it surpasses its foreign counterparts. The ship's displacement is 5,2 thousand tons, length 108,1 m, width - 17,2 m.

Let us recall that in April 2014, during a period of sharp aggravation of the Ukrainian crisis, the Pentagon was concerned about the discovery of two Russian vessels off the coast of Florida: the reconnaissance ship Viktor Leonov and the rescue tug Nikolai Chiker.