Belgium has opened an investigation into the activities of a Russian "spy ship" spotted in November in areas where there are wind farms, underwater gas pipelines and communication cables, the Belgian Minister of Health announced on Tuesday 21 February. Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne.
"
We don't know the exact motives of this Russian ship, but let's not be naive
," the minister said in a statement.
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“Suspicious behavior of the ship”
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We are taking the necessary measures to better secure them
," he said.
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The passage of this ship is undoubtedly part of the broader context of the war in Ukraine
," he said.
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Given the suspicious behavior of the ship, which was sailing without AIS (Automatic Identification System), a mandatory security system that automatically knows the identity of ships, an investigation has been launched by the Maritime Information Hub,"
said The Minister.
This ship had already been spotted in Dutch waters, the military intelligence and security service (MIVD) said on Monday.
NATO and the EU announced on January 11 the creation of a joint working group to strengthen the protection of their essential infrastructures in Europe against threats from Russia.
This initiative follows the sabotage of the Nord Stream underwater gas pipelines last year and is an illustration of the strengthened cooperation between the two organizations to respond to the consequences of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
