A Russian cargo vessel spent over three weeks mysteriously loitering near critical undersea communication cables off Taiwan's coast, raising international security concerns amid growing fears of potential infrastructure sabotage.
The Belize-flagged vessel "Vasily Shukshin" departed from Russia's Vostochnyy port on December 8, made a brief stop in South Korea, and then positioned itself near Taiwan's Fangshan undersea cable landing station on December 19, according to maritime analysts.
Ray Powell, director of SeaLight, a Stanford University-affiliated maritime analyst group, reported that the ship was "aimlessly criss-crossing" the area "for no apparent reason" for three and a half weeks. The vessel's behavior attracted attention as it neither sought entry to any Taiwanese ports nor conducted apparent commercial activities during this period.
While the Taiwan coast guard confirmed no damage to the underwater cables, the incident has heightened international concerns. Similar vessels from Russia and China have been spotted near critical undersea infrastructure in various locations, including the Baltic Sea and off Norway's coast, before reported damage occurred.
The timing of the vessel's departure raised additional questions, as it began its return journey to Russia just one day after Powell publicly reported its suspicious activities. Despite previously declaring Vietnam as its destination, the ship altered course directly back to its home port of Vostochnyy.
This incident occurs as NATO and Western allies strengthen their maritime security measures. NATO recently announced a new Baltic mission specifically focused on protecting undersea infrastructure, reflecting growing concerns about potential Russian underwater activities.
Maritime security experts warn that attacks on underwater infrastructure present serious risks to global communications and financial systems. Russia has reportedly developed advanced seabed warfare capabilities over the past decade through its Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI), which operates under the defense ministry.