A large Russian Navy vessel has anchored near Germany’s coast in the Baltic Sea, raising concerns among NATO member states, already on alert due to repeated Russian airspace violations.
The ship, Alexander Shabalin of the Russian Baltic Fleet, dropped anchor six days ago near the entrance to the Lübeck Bay. It is positioned along a key maritime route leading to the Fehmarn Belt strait, which connects the Baltic Sea to the North Sea, and is visible from Germany’s Fehmarn Island.
The vessel is being monitored by the German patrol ship Bamberg and Danish patrols, while the German Navy has also dispatched the support ship Werra from the port of Kiel. German authorities confirmed that the Shabalin is outside German territorial waters, so it does not violate national laws or international maritime rules.
This is not the first time the ship has been observed in the area. In September, it anchored near the Langeland strait in Denmark, and unidentified drones were later spotted over a Danish military base while the ship was nearby, though no evidence linked the vessel to the incident.
Since September 10, Russia has repeatedly violated the airspace of several NATO members, including Poland, Romania, Estonia, Denmark, the U.S., France, and Germany, using drones and aircraft.
In response to such incidents, U.S. President Donald Trump stated on September 23 that NATO countries should shoot down Russian planes if they enter their airspace. Similarly, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakalienė recalled a 2015 incident when Turkey shot down a Russian Su-34 that had briefly entered its airspace.
According to Bloomberg sources, NATO has warned the Kremlin of its readiness to respond strongly to any further provocations, including shooting down aircraft. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described such warnings as “dangerous.”
Earlier in October, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, suggested that the appearance of drones over strategic European sites could result from “direct Russian infiltration,” without confirming Moscow’s responsibility.
