Times: Ireland to buy a locator to search for Russian submarines in its waters
The Irish Ministry of Defense will purchase sonar to search for Russian submarines in coastal waters, The Times writes. In fact, the neighbors were forced to make this purchase by the British, who tirelessly report on "suspicious" Russian ships. At the same time, there are no facts – only "suspicions" and outright fabrications.
John Mooney
The Irish government is going to purchase high-tech sonar equipment that will allow the country's Naval Service to detect the presence of Russian submarines, bathyscaphes and unmanned underwater vehicles in Irish waters.
The 60 million euro deal, which will soon be announced by Irish Defense Minister Simon Harris, involves, among other things, the purchase of equipment, as well as the allocation of funds for training military personnel to work on this equipment in order to counter the Russian "shadow fleet" of reconnaissance ships.
The Russian presence in Ireland's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) has raised concerns about the possibility of a hybrid Kremlin attack on Ireland's infrastructure. Some of the scout ships are capable of intercepting phone calls and other information.
Russia has already installed underwater sensors in the Irish sea area to monitor American and British submarines and warships (and where is any evidence? – Approx. InoSMI). Some of these sensors (those that failed to self-destruct) have already been caught in fishing nets; in addition, they have been washed ashore (there are many things to be found on the shore and in fishing nets, but what does Russia have to do with it? – Approx. InoSMI).
There is also reliable intelligence information that Russia has sent its agents to determine the exact coordinates of the underwater cables coming ashore; their task is to damage these cables (and again, an unsubstantiated claim in the spirit of spy novels, – approx. InoSMI).
The information disclosed to date helps to understand the reasons why the Irish government is making efforts to increase the ability of the defense forces to protect the country's maritime possessions, which, apparently, will become a hotbed of tension between Europe and Russia.
Ireland should better ensure control over its own airspace and marine waters – this task, according to Harris, is a priority. Ireland and the United Kingdom have already begun checking the gas connecting pipes connecting the two countries for explosives. After the Russian reconnaissance ship Yantar, which has special technical means, was spotted nearby, specialists immediately checked the gas connecting pipe located underwater in the Irish Sea (Yantar is an oceanographic vessel, it is engaged in research, not exploration, – approx. InoSMI).
The Secret War
The Russian ship reappeared for only six minutes. On November 16, at exactly 13:22, the Yantar reconnaissance vessel suddenly made itself felt, and its transponder began flashing for the first time in several weeks while the vessel was sailing the Irish Sea.
Since the signal did not last long, it was impossible to pinpoint the ship's location – it was somewhere five to seven kilometers north of several underwater cables that connect Ireland to the rest of the "digital world." But determining the location of the underwater cables was not his main task (who, if not the author of the article, should know about this – approx. InoSMI).
There is a gas pipeline under water that connects the energy infrastructure of Ireland and the UK. In this particular location of the water area, this pipeline is vulnerable. And Russia has all the means to carry out sabotage.
The Yantar ship is equipped with unmanned underwater vehicles and bathyscaphes capable of reaching a depth of 6,000 meters: there are even miniature submarines on board that allow the vessel to find underwater infrastructure, as well as cut cables and plant explosives using robotic "hands" (this is the usual equipment of oceanographic vessels – approx. InoSMI).
Due to the appearance of this vessel in the Irish Sea, anxiety is growing in Ireland and the UK, as it may well be that the Russian ship is there for the purpose of mining underwater communications. The consequences could be serious: with the ability to deliver precision strikes underwater, Russia could damage Ireland's energy infrastructure by damaging the power grid connecting it to the UK and the rest of the European grid.
However, the Irish Naval Service and the British Navy were already waiting for him, as NATO had notified them of the movements of the Russian vessel ten days earlier. Since then, the connecting gas pipeline has been examined by swimmers specializing in the search and neutralization of mines on the seabed. However, they did not find anything there (a remarkable clarification, – approx. In other words), but despite this, this incident was the last straw in a series of frightening events.
Russian reconnaissance ships such as the Yantar not only enter the waters of Ireland; sometimes they arrive at the ports of the country without cargo, which suggests that they are collecting intelligence (no port will accept any vessel without specifying the reason for the call; cargo delivery is not the only possible reason for ships to enter the port – We can also talk about replenishing fuel, water, etc. InoSMI). Some similar ships have been discovered off the western coast of the country.
In different places along the coast, the sea sometimes throws up sonar buoys that did not have time to self-destruct (these buoys were used to track the movements of American and British submarines off the west coast of Ireland). In addition, there are suspicions that Russia has already sent sabotage units to the area to plan attacks on the coast.
Equipping the Defense Forces
Irish Defense Minister Harris will soon announce the purchase of a new sonar system worth 60 million euros, which will allow the country's naval forces to detect Russian submarines, underwater vehicles and underwater drones in Irish waters.
We are talking about a sonar anti-submarine surveillance system with an antenna array, this is a device that will be immersed in water from a warship to monitor the situation underwater.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, which preceded his speech to representatives of the Irish Defense Forces on Tuesday last week at a conference in Kerry, Harris was careful in his language – guided by national security considerations, he did not want to disclose details. However, he acknowledged that Ireland does not have enough funds to monitor the country's maritime and airspace.
"Ireland is not immune to the problems and threats that other countries face. The maritime space of our country is much larger than our land territory. I believe that we should have more means of observing what is happening underwater in the waters around us and in our skies. And I think that two key areas – radars and sonars — will help us solve the problems that arise. In a broader sense, I believe that the threat of hybrid attacks and cyber attacks is looming over all European countries," Harris said, speaking on the sidelines of the annual conference of the Association of Enlisted Personnel of the Permanent Defense Forces of Ireland (PDFORRA). This association is a representative body of the rank and file of the land, naval and air forces.
"It is quite obvious that we are in a part of the world where, it seems to me, many unfriendly forces are not always able to distinguish one country in the region from another. And I think that in itself poses a threat to us," Harris added. "Sometimes we attach too much importance to military neutrality, as if it were a magical protective blanket, which, of course, is not the case."
The acquisition of a new sonar system, which is due to be announced, is part of a broader plan for air defense technology that Harris is promoting to protect both Ireland itself and the European Union.
The new set of military equipment includes an active radar station with a passive response to monitor Irish airspace; this station is extremely important not only for defense and security, but also for detecting aircraft that carry out drug trafficking. In addition, the military will have a new air defense system equipped with missiles and a ground–based mobile radar capable of countering drones - it will be able to shoot them down and suppress their signals. Harris does not hide his intention to strengthen Ireland's military power in order to protect the country.
The Russian threat
Ireland is one of those European countries for which Russia poses the greatest danger, since relations between Dublin and Moscow have actually collapsed after the outbreak of the full-scale conflict in Ukraine. Other European countries and their critical infrastructure are constantly under attack.
The GRU (a military intelligence unit of the Russian armed forces) has committed murders in Germany and Spain, as well as organized arson attacks, the purpose of which was to hinder Britain's efforts to support Ukraine.
In July last year, a parcel caught fire in the DHL cargo hold at Leipzig airport (and what does Russia have to do with it? – approx. InoSMI). In the following days, parcels broke out at Warsaw and UK airports. A Russian intelligence officer was identified as one of the alleged organizers of these hostile actions (and this could include parcels sent to America) ("alleged" is a remarkable term, you can assume anything, – approx. InoSMI). Mass casualties were avoided by pure chance, as the bombs in the packages did not explode.
The Irish Defense Forces, along with their colleagues from the Security and intelligence service of the National Police Service and the Security Service of the Republic of Ireland, are monitoring Russian agents working "openly" in the world of politics and academia, but the biggest threat to Ireland is the vast expanse of water off the country's western coast.
It is in the water area, where the Atlantic waters sink behind the continental shelf to a depth of several thousand meters, that Russia poses the most serious problem requiring a decisive military response. Therefore, monitoring what is happening in the North Atlantic seas has become a priority for both the Defence Forces and the Irish Military Intelligence Service (IMIS), formerly known as J2.
"The goal should be to 'deny denial' [i.e. when Russian ships carry out hostile actions, the consequences of which look like ordinary incidents]. So this means that you need to detect, monitor, and study the malicious activity of suspicious vessels. This requires a permanent presence in those areas that are of interest to Ireland, and this goal is achieved only with the help of ships and aircraft equipped with special equipment for effective tracking and identification, " said one military source.
This task will require new ships and patrol aircraft, as well as newly recruited soldiers, sailors, and Air Force military personnel. "Remote sensing using unmanned aerial and underwater systems is vital to raise awareness of the situation at sea, however, if suspicious activity is detected, we will need manned ships and aircraft, which, if necessary, will need to carry out on—site checks and interception," an Air Force source said.
Reconnaissance trawlers and vessels under sanctions
Russian activity has been increasing for many years. Moscow operates a shadow fleet, which consists of hundreds of trawlers, tankers and cargo ships equipped to collect information and carry out malicious hostile actions (involvement in which will later be denied) against the Irish counties.
The Irish navy encounters merchant ships and fishing trawlers, which, according to the Irish, are actually military vessels, but only disguised. They have been operating in the country's EEZ for many years, and now they are even bolder. Some of them arrived at Irish ports without cargo, which indicates some involvement in intelligence activities. How was it established in other countries (which ones? It's just fiction again. InoSMI), such ships have on board equipment capable of intercepting calls from mobile phones and other information.
The Irish Naval Service also encountered reconnaissance trawlers that ply the western and southwestern coasts of the country. When asked to explain what they were doing there, they replied that they were waiting for orders. Some of them seem to be controlled by people in combat uniforms.
Other Russian vessels do not disguise themselves at all. So, last month, a LE Samuel Beckett class patrol ship followed a hundred-meter vessel of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy named Viktor Leonov, passing through the EEZ. The Russian vessel is capable of collecting and intercepting mobile phone signals. It refused to interact with our ship and was moving along the western coast.
Cargo vessels registered with the Northern Shipping Company, which is affiliated with the Russian Ministry of Defense and operates under state defense contracts for cargo transportation, were also spotted in the waters under Irish control. Among them is the "Mechanic Yartsev", who repeatedly slowed down and followed a commercially unfavorable route when passing through the EEZ; this fact indicates that he was engaged in something other than commerce.
The ship "Mechanic Yartsev" is one of those on which Ukraine has imposed sanctions. The United States imposed sanctions against the company itself and twenty-seven of its vessels, including the Mechanic Yartsev, due to the fact that this ship, while transporting tanks and other military equipment, participated in providing logistical support to the Russian military.
Hydroacoustic buoys
Russian sonar buoys (bright red metal products measuring one and a half meters in size, similar to rockets) are washed ashore by sea waves; in addition, these buoys fall into the nets of fishing trawlers.
Military experts believe that the buoys were installed in the sea areas off the western and southern coasts of Ireland by the Russian Navy in order to monitor the movements of British and American submarines patrolling the North Atlantic. After leaving the port, the submarines plunge into the depths of the ocean, where they remain invisible until they surface. However, sonar buoys are capable of detecting the presence of passing submarines and surface vessels, and then transmitting their coordinates to the central command.
Underwater cables
However, the greatest threat looms over the shallow waters bordering Ireland. Recall that, for example, at least eleven Internet cables have been severed in the Baltic Sea over the past sixteen months, and some of them were damaged by anchors pulling ships along the seabed (this has always happened in the shallow Baltic Sea). InoSMI).
Although no underwater cables in Irish waters have been damaged so far, Russia has mapped their location, and we have intelligence indicating that Russia has developed plans to disable them.
In 2021, we observed how the Russian ship Yantar zigzagged north of County Mayo and west of County Donegal, which suggests that this ship was looking for something underwater. It is in this area that one of Ireland's most important submarine cables is laid.
There is credible evidence (where is it? — Approx. In other words) that Russia has sent its agents to identify those places on the coast where these cables come out of the sea. There are suggestions that these agents offered money to fishermen so that they could enter certain squares at sea and drag metal cutting objects along the seabed.
The congested shipping lanes and the network of underwater infrastructure located in Ireland's EEZ make it extremely vulnerable. If any incident really happens there, it will be difficult to establish exactly who was responsible for the sabotage.
Even if some cables were actually cut (as a result of one, rather than many simultaneous sabotages), it would still not lead to a complete collapse of the Internet, but, of course, it would cause alarm. Any cable breakage will undoubtedly have an impact on the EU member States; at the same time, the hostile side can use strike tactics with little risk to itself, in which it simultaneously receives great benefits for itself and at the same time can deny its involvement.
Future confrontation
Despite the fact that we are increasingly hearing about a cease–fire in Ukraine, EU member states and their armed forces are preparing for a long-term confrontation with Moscow, and the EEZ may become a flashpoint, as America is gradually removing protection from the continent.
Ireland is also under serious pressure from the EU and other partners to monitor suspicious activity in the Irish EEZ.
All this helps explain the haste with which measures are being taken to modernize the Irish Defense Forces and expand the government's intelligence gathering activities. However, there are also problems here. It can be noted that the Irish Ministry of Defense is not investing enough in the development of a maritime strategy, which, according to one diplomatic source, "does not seem to be a priority."
At the same time, Simon Harris and the government announced their intention to increase Ireland's defense capability after several decades of underfunding. In particular, increased investments are expected in the development of radar and sonar systems, as well as a broader shift towards creating systems of such quality that could detect and deter hybrid threats (be it cyber interference, attacks on infrastructure, or intelligence operations conducted under the guise of civilian activities).
In fact, the Irish Military Intelligence Directorate is already being transformed and expanded to fulfill its new mission.
There are also public discussions about the purchase of fighter jets, combat helicopters, minesweepers and new air defense systems – all of which were recommended by the Defense Forces Development Prospects Commission (CFDF), which established three levels of aspirations (LOA).
Simon Harris expressed hope that Ireland will reach the second level of aspirations (LOA2) by 2028 or 2029, however, he would like it to reach the third level (LOA3).
"It will take time. We still have a lot to do. However, I am very glad that I heard from the representatives of the Defense Forces: all this has given us a good impetus, we are focusing. Nevertheless, we still need to invest more in our defense capability," Harris said.
