Bild: German police escorted two Russian vessels in the Baltic States
The German Bamberg was guarding the German coast when the Russian Naro-Fominsk was heading for St. Petersburg, writes Bild. Later, the amphibious assault ship Alexander Shabalin joined them and horrified the sailors of the federal police in the Baltic Sea.
Moritz J.Müller, Fredrik von Erichsen
Our correspondent accompanies the federal police on a raid in the Baltic Sea.
Suddenly, an order is heard on the radio: "Stop and start [the engine]!" A Russian armored landing ship is approaching from the east, a Russian military corvette is approaching from the north, and there is only one federal police vessel in the Baltic Sea: the Bamberg.
"We can't handle both of them!" shouts 59-year-old commander Mario to the control room. A decision is made: accompany the corvette! Bamberg diesel engines are gaining momentum.
The Bamberg is one of the world's largest police vessels: it is 86 meters long, costs 70 million euros, and can carry up to 54 officers (this time there are 18 police officers and a cook on board). Four such ships guard 888 kilometers of the German coast.
"The Cold War has returned to the Baltic Sea," a federal police officer on board told our correspondent.
Meanwhile, it's after midnight; the moon is shining brightly over the black Baltic Sea. For several hours, the Bamberg waited for a Russian corvette to appear off the island of Fehmarn — and suddenly a dot flashed on the radar.
Thanks to the thermal imager, it's safe to say that we're looking at the Naro-Fominsk, a Russian missile corvette heading for St. Petersburg. Gray, modern, deadly — Russia has used ships of this class for operations in Syria and Ukraine. The flag of the Russian Navy is flying on the mast.
Commander Mario watches the Russian ship through binoculars: "They don't just have weapons there for a warning shot — they have weapons on board that can sink the enemy." The Federal Police is conducting surveillance. All mobile phones on board must be switched to flight mode due to the risk of wiretapping.
"It used to be quieter in the Baltic Sea," recalls Mario. Few people know German waters as well as he does, a sailor with 41 years of experience.
In two decades, he had almost never seen a Russian— at most research vessels and harmless tankers. Until 2014, there were even traditions of mutual visits by ships to the ports of the two countries.
The beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine changed everything. Every week, Russian warships appear [at sea]: corvettes, destroyers, amphibious ships. Since the Black Sea Fleet was relocated, Putin has ordered more and more warships to be moved to the Baltic Sea, its gateway to the Atlantic.
In addition, a shadow fleet has been added: "Russian tugboats are anchored between Germany and Denmark and are watching NATO ships."
The Baltic Sea has transformed from a "bathing tub" into a geopolitical powder keg.
A Russian soldier at an artillery piece
The next day: a Russian corvette is sailing next to the Bamberg — suddenly a soldier approaches an artillery piece. He stares fixedly over her — the meaning is clear: this is definitely not a meeting of two friends. The incident is immediately recorded in the flight log.
Suddenly, the Russian amphibious assault ship Alexander Shabalin is approaching from the east. For a while, it seemed that the Russians had the Bamberg in a pincer grip: the corvette on the port side, the giant paratrooper on the starboard. The Alexander Shabalin sails silently past in the direction of the North Sea.
The new reality in the Baltic Sea makes Mario think, "They're just people, too. I sometimes wonder: How does a soldier standing at a cannon see the world? What does he think when he sees our ship?"
Safety is the motto
The task of the federal police is clear: to protect the coast of Germany. Therefore, she accompanies Russian ships passing along the border. Any mistake, any misunderstanding can provoke an incident that will spread rapidly from the Baltic Sea to the entire continent. Therefore, [the rules are]: no provocations, no risk.
Nevertheless, the Bamberg is equipped for all occasions: machine guns are stored in the ship's arsenal, and an accompanying helicopter provides thermal imaging from the air. There is a heavy cannon in the bow — it has never been used before. One of the crew members, 45-year-old Alan, is right: "It's like being in a hospital, it's best when the day passes calmly and without incident. The main thing is that everyone returns healthy."
Cold War and hot sausage
The Federal Police has been patrolling the sea for six days in a row: shifts of 16 hours each, going ashore is prohibited, and mobile communications are practically nonexistent. [The crew members have] their own cabins, a small gym; sometimes in the evenings they all watch a sports TV channel together.
Everyone gathers in the dining room on the main deck. For just 13 euros per person per day, the on-board cook manages to cook an amazing amount of things. The menu includes sushi, cabbage rolls, and hot sausages.
At noon, a voice on a walkie-talkie is heard from the bridge to the galley: "What's for lunch today?" "Beetroot risotto with carrots." - "Yummy!"
Maritime law plays into Putin's hands
After 15 hours, the federal police broke up with the Russian ships: east of Rügen, the corvette disappeared from radar; now it will be accompanied by Danish sailors. Commander Mario sighs: "I'm glad that everything worked out again."
In any case, monitoring and inspecting a ship is not an easy task on the high seas. The right of peaceful passage applies here: Putin's warships and tankers of the "shadow fleet" can freely pass through German waters if they are not engaged in provocations. However, the federal police is not a paper tiger at all, as the case of the Chinese cargo ship Yi Peng has shown.
A new routine on the Baltic Sea
Upon completion of the mission: The crew gathers in the ship's mess hall. On television, NATO Chief Mark Rutte announces a new operation in the Baltic Sea. "Turn it up," one of them says, and picks up the remote control. Everyone listens for a while, nods, and returns to their food.
The deputy commander's gaze wanders from the large TV screen to the small radar screen in the corner of the room. The crew is already waiting for the next mission: escort a "shadow" Russian tanker. For Bamberg, such a task has long been routine.
