Analysis tracks Russian trawlers near undersea cables

A Telegraph analysis of vessel-tracking data identified 17 Russian fishing boats that spent prolonged periods moving slowly near undersea cable routes, recording more than 500 incidents over four and a half years. The tracking shows where the vessels travelled and how they manoeuvred, but does not establish that they conducted espionage or what equipment they carried. The analysis compared Global Fishing Watch data with charts showing cable locations. It found Russian boats spent a combined 337 hours over the Atlantic Crossing 1 cable, including 322 hours in April 2023. One vessel reportedly turned repeatedly along a 25-kilometre stretch of the route north of Scotland. The investigation also recorded activity near other links. In February 2025, a Russian vessel crossed the Hibernia Express cable multiple times and spent 42 minutes nearby at less than two knots during one passage. It also travelled slowly along the SHEFA2 connection between Shetland and the Faroe Islands. Another vessel followed a decommissioned cable west of Brittany before slowing near two operational links. A NATO source said the alliance was aware of Russian civilian fishing vessels’ activity. A Royal Navy...