London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Mystery of cut Shetland cables as Russian 'research' ship sails near islands

Mystery of cut Shetland cables as Russian 'research' ship sails near islands

THE mystery over severed undersea power cables off Shetland has deepened after it emerged a Russian "research ship" was clocked in the area.

Engineers battled to restore internet and phone communications after islanders were completely cut off from the mainland on Thursday.

The spy ship was tracked by Britain's Royal Navy

The Shetland Islands were plunged into a communication blackout when a deep-sea cable was cut


New data now shows the research ship Akademik Boris Petrov travelled through the Shetland-Orkney Gap hours later.

The Dutch warship HNLMS Tromp later moved to a position North East of the Isle of Lewis to intercept and escort it away from UK waters.

Akademik Boris Petrov has now carried on its journey to Brazil.

The ship originally left Kaliningrad on October 17 for its expedition.

Its original route was set to see it go through the English Channel into the Atlantic.

But after it left Skagerrak it changed route and passed vital underwater infrastructure in the North Sea.

It was also expected to go through sensitive waters off Faslane Naval base where Britain's nuclear submarine is based, according to the Auxiliary Shipping Forecast blog.

The route was also meant to pass through waters off northwest Ireland where critical transatlantic infrastructure is kept.

The Shetland Isles were plunged into a comms blackout Thursday after an undersea cable was cut - knocking out phone and internet connection to the region.

A major incident was declared after the serious outage left the remote North Sea islands cut off from the mainland.

A Ministry of Defence source said at the time a civilian fishing trawler was believed to have caused the damage.

Tensions are high after the Russian attack on the Nord Stream undersea gas pipeline last month.

Just weeks ago Irish politicians warned Putin could try to cut the vital communications link.

"The provocative change of route is almost certainly strategic messaging to the United Kingdom and is highly likely intended to raise tensions," reports the Plenty Of Ships blog.

The Royal Navy is understood to be "monitoring and assessing" Akademik Boris Petrov's operations.

The ship is bristling with a high-tech kit for underwater surveillance and intelligence gathering.

It is reportedly a "vessel of interest" for Western militaries.

Norwegian media said it is a "spy ship" despite its official scientific purpose.

Oslo sent F-35 jets to monitor its voyage close to oil platforms.

“It’s registered as a research vessel but it functions as a spy ship,” Ståle Ulriksen, an instructor at Norway’s naval academy, told broadcaster NRK.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
×