Russia has deployed a warship armed with cruise and hypersonic missiles close to a German island in the Baltic Sea.
The Admiral Kasatonov, a frigate equipped with nuclear-capable Zircon hypersonic missiles, was seen last week off the coast of the island of Fehmarn, a popular destination for tourists, following Kremlin threats to attack British and EU vessels.
Constructed in 2020, Admiral Kasatonov is said to be one of the most advanced warships in the Russian navy. It is capable of long-range strikes as well as anti-submarine warfare.
The appearance of the warship in the Baltic, a vital shipping zone, appears to mark the latest escalation between Russia and Nato.
On Sunday, The Telegraph revealed that Russia was building secret bases near its border with Ukraine. They are being used to build hi-tech attack drones capable of striking deep inside Nato territory, posing a long-term threat to the alliance.
A recent US intelligence report has warned that Russia could launch an attack on the Western alliance to test its resolve within weeks. This could take the form of a small-scale attack on Poland or a Baltic state, as The Telegraph revealed earlier this month.
In recent months, Britain and France have seized commercial vessels suspected of transporting oil and other goods on behalf of Russia, in violation of international sanctions.
The secretive network of ageing Russia-linked ships, which are in poor condition and generally sail under obscure foreign flags, has been called the Russian shadow fleet.
Admiral Kasatonov is the second Russian warship to be seen in the Baltic in recent weeks, following the deployment of the destroyer Admiral Levchenko in late July.
The Telegraph approached the German military for comment about the warships but did not receive an immediate response. Moscow has not commented on the deployments.
Shipping data seen by the Telegraph suggest the Admiral Kasatonov was sailing with its location tracker turned off, and it was unclear whether it was still near Fehmarn on Monday afternoon.
Speaking last week during an inspection of a Russian warship, Vladimir Putin said he was ready to retaliate against British and EU ships that tried to seize Russia-linked vessels.
He said of ship seizures: “It’s nothing but piracy and robbery. If this is done, we will be forced to respond in kind … [Russia can retaliate] in any area where we see it as necessary and appropriate.”
The Russian president singled out the Pacific, which is heavily used by British and EU commercial ships, and where Russian officials have announced plans to begin boarding and inspecting vessels.
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Russian national security council, and former president of Russia, has also threatened attacks on European ships.
Referring to Nato countries that supported Ukraine, he said: “Russia has the right to attack any merchant ship belonging to an enemy state, whether in our or neutral waters, if there is sufficient suspicion that it is transporting cargo in the interest of the enemy.”
The first British-led seizure of a Russian shadow-fleet vessel occurred in June 2026, when Royal Marine Commandos boarded the Smyrtos during a six-hour operation.
Vladimir Putin has accused European countries of piracy following seizures of Russian shadow fleet vessels – Reuters
Britain’s National Crime Agency also boarded the ship, which was placed at anchor off the southern coast of England on suspicion of violating international sanctions.
UK officials said at the time they had already sanctioned almost 600 Russian shadow fleet vessels, but were adopting a tougher stance on Moscow by boarding and seizing them.
They said: “Responsible for carrying 75 per cent of Russia’s sanctioned oil, the shadow fleet of over 700 vessels provides a critical lifeline for the Kremlin, generating a war fund that supplies missiles and drones targeting innocent Ukrainian civilians and sustaining Russia’s illegal war.
“By disrupting the shadow fleet, we and our international partners are directly bearing down on the resources sustaining Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and reducing its capacity to threaten security across Europe and beyond.”
Earlier in June, France seized the Tagor, a Russia-linked shadow-fleet vessel, in the Atlantic, with support from a British military helicopter. The operation marked the fourth time since September that the French military has boarded a suspected Russian shadow-fleet vessel.
The Kremlin said in response that the “illegal” seizure was “bordering on international piracy”, a sentiment that would later be echoed by Putin himself.
Dmitry Medvedev, of the Russian national security council, has said his country has the right to attack European merchant ships – AP
Moscow has operated its shadow-fleet network since Feb 2022, when it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, leading to an avalanche of international sanctions being imposed on Russia.
As concerns grow about an attack on Nato’s eastern flank, Latvia has asked for billions of euros in EU funding to cover the costs of living next to Russia.
Andris Kulbergs, the Latvian prime minister, said €7bn (about £5.9bn) was required to support increased defence spending and the economic fallout from severing ties with Moscow.
“We are getting our budget deficit to the maximum … and from that debt we’re paying … the defence of the whole Europe,” he told Politico, which, along with The Telegraph, is owned by Axel Springer and is part of its Global Reporters Network.
