SB-123

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Strange movements of Russian units observed

Unusual maneuvers by Russian ships have been observed in the southern Kattegat, indicating possible underwater operations. Particularly conspicuous were the presence of the tugs "Sergeji Balk" and "SB123". The "Sergeji Balk" has been observed since the afternoon of Jan 6 on the deep-water route that leads from the Great Belt through the Kattegat. It was moving up and down a stretch of about 21.5 nautical mile east of Grenaa on northeast and southwest courses. Since the evening of Jan 6, it has been supported by the "SB123", which was obviously specially ordered from Baltiysk. The operation, in which at least two other units were involved, was stopped around noon on Jan 8, and both tugs started transiting through the Great Belt into the central Baltic Sea. The recorded movements have nothing in common with a normal passage. As far as publicly available information suggests, submarine cables did not appear to be the direct focus of current interest. Instead, another suspicion is coming into focus: Not far from the conspicuous search strips of the Russian units, the "Yi Peng 3" had been anchoredi. The bulk carrier was identified at both locations where damage to submarine cables between Sweden and Lithuania and between Finland and Germany was detected in mid-November and are the subject of further investigations. The "SB123" had already aroused suspicion in the same sea area, when the tug, together with the 'Chusovoy -GS-31', a hydroacoustic reconnaissance vessel, had moved towards Skagen on Oct 4, 2024 and anchored in the Great Belt in the sea area between Grenaa, Seelands Odde and Anholt. It remained nearby for some time before continuing north. At that time the laying of underwater cables near an offshore wind farm Anholt may have aroused Russian interest. The "Chusovoy" is capable of deploying underwater equipment. The "Sergeji Balk" was observed on Dec 31, 2024, together with an unidentified Kilo-class submarine, passing through the Great Belt and escorted by the Danish Navy. Both took shelter from the approaching storm southeast of Skagen in Denmark on January 1, 2025. hey were joined on Jan 2 by the missile corvette "Soobrazitelny", which accompanied the Russian tanker "General Skobelev" and the roro vessel "Sparta II" on their way to the Mediterranean. The "Sergeij Balk" and the submarine, which was believed to be the B-608 "Mozhaisk" to be delivered to the Pacific Fleet, stayed in the sea area around Skagen for a relatively long time, it was reasonable to assume that there was a technical problem on one of the two vessels. This suspicion was reinforced by the departure of the "SB123" and another tug, the "Evgeniy Churov". The apparently inexplicable movements of the "Sergeji Balk", the "SB 123" and two other units linked to Russia that can now be observed indicate a different order situation. In addition, on the morning of Jan 8, the corvette "Soobrazitelny" and an unidentifiable submarine were spotted heading south in the northern part of the Kattegat, east of the island of Läsoe.