SHADOW GAMES

RUSSIA'S 'GREY ZONE' ACTIVITY IN THE BALTIC, FROM GPS INTERFERENCE TO AGGRESSIVE SHADOWING, IS UNSETTLING SAILORS. WILL THIS BE THE NEW NORMAL, ASKS ELAINE BUNTING?

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“Look, Gerd... what is that? Is it a boat? Is it moving?” Anke Schekahn was on watch with her husband, sailing their Malö 40 Emaloca from Władysławowo in northern Poland, to Klaipėda in Lithuania, on their way to Estonia early in the summer of 2025. In the far distance was the coast of Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave wedged between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. The German couple were transiting through Russia's Exclusive Economic Zone, but outside the 12-mile territorial limit, when she saw a strange looking silhouette on the horizon.

Neither of them could make sense of the low, dark object until it came closer. As it approached, they realised it was a partially surfaced submarine.

The submarine altered course toward them and closed at an angle, then reduced speed to match the yacht's. It was close. The conning tower and periscopes looked threatening. Gerd called on the radio, but there was no reply.

“My knees started shaking uncontrollably and my mouth was dry. I didn't dare take a photo. It felt eerie to see no person at all but to know that we were being watched,” Anke wrote on the blog of their Baltic cruise (emaloca-segelt.de) to an Estonian singing festival.

The couple were now frightened. Were they being monitored, would the submarine pass by, or were they being purposely intimidated?

They tacked Emaloca away. The submarine followed, then continued on a parallel course. Eventually it crossed their path and continued on its way, but the Schekahns were shaken, cleared well offshore and resolved never to go back. Some time later, they heard a Polish sailor on Ch16 warning about a Russian warship that tried to push him off course.

For some years Russia has been flexing its might in the Baltic. Many NATO countries are feeling the effects of Russia's hybrid war and threats to everything from internet stability and energy to transport infrastructure.