Belgium has denounced on Tuesday the presence last November of a Russian spy ship in its territorial waters of the North Sea near critical infrastructures, as reported by the Minister of Justice and the North Sea, Vincent Van Quickenborne.
«We do not know the exact reasons for (the presence of) this Russian ship, but we should not be naive about it,» he specified, adding that they are «taking the necessary measures» to increase security at sea with other neighboring countries, as reported by the ‘Nieuwsblad’ newspaper.
The Belgian authorities have specified that the vessel, which was traveling without the mandatory security system that reveals its identity to other ships, behaved «suspiciously» when crossing an area close to critical infrastructures, with «wind farms, submarine gas pipelines and data cables».
«Our Intelligence and Security services also take this scenario into account and are alert,» Van Quickenborne has indicated, explaining that the ship’s passage «certainly fits within the broader context of the Ukrainian war,» the daily ‘De Standaard’ has picked up.
The Belgian Security and Military Intelligence Service already reported on Monday the presence of this ship in Belgian territorial waters, pointing out that the vessel could have been mapping critical infrastructure.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
