Russia has deployed a nuclear-capable stealth frigate armed with Zircon hypersonic missiles to the Baltic Sea, just miles from a popular German holiday island, amid escalating threats to Western shipping.
Frigate spotted near Fehmarn
The Admiral Kasatonov, built in 2020 and hailed as one of Moscow's most lethal naval assets, was tracked near the German island of Fehmarn, known for its sandy beaches and nature reserves that attract hundreds of thousands of tourists annually.
Tracking data seen by The Telegraph indicates the frigate was sailing with its location transponder deliberately switched off to evade radar, operating as a "ghost ship."
Western raids on shadow fleet
The deployment follows a series of Western operations against Russia's "shadow fleet" – a clandestine network of ageing, foreign-flagged oil tankers used to bypass sanctions. In June, Royal Marine Commandos conducted a six-hour raid to board and seize the vessel Smyrtos off the UK coast. France has also intercepted Russian-linked oil tankers in the Atlantic.
Moscow has reacted angrily, with President Vladimir Putin branding the interceptions "piracy and robbery" and threatening to attack Western ships in retaliation. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that Moscow now claims the right to strike European merchant vessels anywhere in international waters.
NATO on high alert
US intelligence has warned that Russia could be preparing a direct strike on a NATO member state, such as Poland or a Baltic nation, within weeks to test Western resolve. Intelligence also points to a broader base build-up near Ukraine designed to launch long-range drone strikes deep into NATO territory.
Latvia has urgently demanded £5.9 billion (€7 billion) from Brussels to fortify NATO's eastern flank. Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs warned that border nations are stretching their budgets to the limit to fund "the defence of the whole of Europe."
