May 2: Gjerding & Elkjær, Russia had special vessel near Nord Stream's detonation point
As published in Information on April 27, 2023
Defense confirms: Russia had special vessel near Nord Stream's detonation point
The Russian SS-750 special craft, which has a mini-submarine on board, was photographed near the place where the Nord Stream pipes were sabotaged, the Defense Command confirms
By Sebastian Gjerding & Bo Elkjær, Information, April 27, 2023
The Russian special vessel SS-750 was near the Nord Stream pipes four days before the pipes were blown up on September 26 last year. The special vessel is designed to carry out operations under the sea and has a mini submarine of the AS-26 Priz type on board.
The Norwegian Defense Command confirms in a response to a document inspection that 26 photos of the Russian vessel were taken from a Danish patrol boat that was in the area east of Bornholm on 22 September 2022.
"It's incredibly interesting. The SS-750 is a special vessel that is designed precisely for underwater operations,' says the Swedish researcher, Russia expert and intelligence expert Joakim von Braun.
Jacob Kaarsbo, who is a senior analyst at the think tank Europe and previously worked for 15 years in the Defense Intelligence Service, believes that the information "sheds light on what was going on in the area in the days before".
"The SS-750 is the most interesting vessel to confirm, because we know it has the capacity to carry out such an operation," says Jacob Kaarsbo.
Information has previously revealed that the Norwegian Defense Command is in possession of 112 images of Russian vessels in the area. But this is the first time that the defense has confirmed that it is the specific Russian vessel SS-750 with the mini-submarine on board.
At the same time, the Norwegian Defense Command refuses to provide access to the photos of the Russian special vessel, as the photos are "of an intelligence nature" and "are part of the intelligence work".
Several Russian naval vessels
The German media T-Online and the open source intelligence analyst Oliver Alexander have previously described that the special vessel SS-750 was one of a total of six Russian naval vessels that may have been in the area in the days leading up to the blasting of the pipelines. They based this, among other things, on information from anonymous sources and satellite images that showed that SS-750 had left the port of Kaliningrad at the same time as, among others, the vessels Aleksandr Frolov and SB-123.
These satellite photos, along with AIS data from a tugboat, indicate that SS-750 sailed from Kaliningrad at 00:22 on 21 September 2022. AIS transmitters are typically used by larger vessels to supplement radars. They send signals about the ship's name, number, direction, draft and speed and can thus be used to map the movement of vessels.
The SS-750 sailed even without the AIS on. However, the tug Alexandr Frolov had its AIS on when departing from the Russian naval port. AIS data from this vessel shows that the convoy of naval vessels headed for Bornholm, but north of Poland the tug's AIS was also switched off. Until now, it has been assumed that the SS-750 and the five other vessels continued to the area where the Nord Stream pipes were blown up a few days later. Now the Defense Command has confirmed that the SS-750 was observed in the area.
"This is clear confirmation. That vessel is part of Russia's readiness for submarines and underwater operations. In theory, that vessel may well have been there for other reasons, but the timing to be in exactly that place at that time is special,' says analyst Oliver Alexander.
Joakim von Braun has worked for both the civilian and military Swedish intelligence services and has written textbooks on the Russian intelligence services and Russian military underwater activities.
He links the new information that the Danish defense has observed the SS-750 in the area east of Bornholm, together with the previous rumors about the six Russian naval vessels:
"This indicates that much of the information that has come to light earlier is correct. The group of six vessels mentioned is a group assembled for exactly this type of operation. It is very likely that these vessels were involved in the sabotage operation,' says Joakim von Braun.
Several countries sent vessels
The 26 images of SS-750 were taken by the Danish patrol vessel P524 Nymfen on September 22, 2022.
As Information has previously described , it was clear from the reaction of several countries' military units that something suspicious happened around the 21st-22nd. September 2022 in the area east of Bornholm. Within hours, both the Danish, Swedish and German defense forces sent vessels to the area, which was also patrolled by surveillance aircraft from both Sweden and Poland.
In addition, American vessels were also nearby, just as an American surveillance helicopter was in the air over the Baltic Sea.
The Danish patrol vessel P524 Nymfen sailed from Rødbyhavn on 21 September in the evening and arrived in the area east of Bornholm shortly after six o'clock in the morning.
The patrol boat sailed back and forth in an area south and east of the detonation points and at one point slowed down to effectively lie still in the area.
It is therefore somewhere on that route that the Russian vessel has been photographed. It is not yet known what the Defence's remaining 86 images of Russian vessels contain.
The defense command has so far not wanted to go into detail about what P524 Nymfen did in the area, but has simply replied in writing:
"P524 Nymfen's movement around 22 September 2022 followed the normal task solution for the unit deployed as part of water surveillance in Danish waters."
However, data shows that it was the first time P524 Nymph was in the area in five years. Jacob Kaarsbo also assesses the sailing pattern of both the Danish patrol boat and the international vessels as highly unusual.
"Apparently, both Denmark and Sweden are patrolling according to a pattern that is far from normal. It is not a place where neither the Swedes nor the Danes usually come out. The normal picture on a completely normal day in September is that something like this doesn't happen,' he says.
Information has previously asked the Defense Command if the P524 Nymfen was sent out to repel the Russian vessel SS-750 equipped with a mini submarine and up to five other Russian naval vessels that may have been present at the same time.
But the Defense Command will not answer that.
The Nord Stream explosions are currently being investigated by both Danish, Swedish and German authorities. It is not known when these investigations will be completed.
Please read Oliver Alexander’s article as published on OSINT Analysis: includes maps, photos and graphs for a better understanding of how the SS 750 was identified.
