Europe faces growing threat from Russia-linked trawlers

Fishing vessels are increasingly drawing scrutiny in European waters, with experts warning that some may be serving as cover for Russian intelligence-gathering and potential sabotage of critical undersea infrastructure, according to an analysis by Euronews.

The European Union sanctioned Russian fishing companies Norebo JSC and Murman Sea Food in May 2025, accusing them of involvement in a state-sponsored surveillance campaign targeting critical infrastructure, including undersea cables. Norway later imposed sanctions on the same companies, with Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide warning that their operations could facilitate future sabotage.

Norebo has denied the allegations.

Fishing vessels as intelligence platforms

European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis acknowledged that Russia was using trawlers for intelligence operations.

“We are aware that Russia is involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities, as well as espionage, mapping of critical infrastructure and sabotage activities,” Kadis told the Financial Times. “This raises security concerns.”

Erlend Heier, a hybrid warfare expert at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, said using fishing vessels for espionage was not new. Major powers have historically used civilian-looking vessels to conceal intelligence operations.

“What’s new,” he said, is the increasing scale and nature of Russian activity since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“This is all part of the wider hybrid grey zone campaigns to essentially destabilise Norway and European societies,” Heier said. “The targets are now civilian critical undersea infrastructure instead of solely surveying military exercises and ports.”

NATO has described such activity as a serious threat. Senior cyber and hybrid threats expert James Appathurai said Russia has long maintained an intelligence-gathering program focused on undersea infrastructure.

"There is no fish"

Determining how many Russian fishing vessels are involved remains difficult. Mariia Vladymyrova, an academic studying Russia’s maritime activities, said open-source monitoring has nevertheless identified suspicious patterns, including vessels repeatedly loitering in specific areas.

“A Belgian officer told me once about a Chinese vessel, in which he said, ‘There is no fish. We know this 100%. No one fishes in this water, but this one vessel is standing there for two weeks’,” Vladymyrova said.

The vessel’s crew reportedly claimed they were repairing fishing nets, which Vladymyrova said was inconsistent with normal activity on the high seas.

Europe struggles to close the loopholes

Tracking suspicious vessels is complicated by opaque ownership structures, concealed insurance arrangements and frequent changes of flags or corporate identities.

“These companies change names and they change their juridical persona from one day to another… but they are not on a sanctions list,” Vladymyrova said. “Closing all these loopholes, I think, is an important task for the EU.”

The European Commission says vessels suspected of threatening critical infrastructure or engaging in hostile activities should be investigated by national authorities.

The EU has already banned most Russian-flagged vessels from accessing its ports, while sanctions against Norebo and Murman Sea Food demonstrated a willingness to target companies rather than only individual ships.

Vladymyrova argues that Brussels should go further by expanding sanctions and closing regulatory gaps.

“What would be welcomed from the EU is to continue on this path (of sanctioning fishing vessels) and update the list,” she said.

National authorities may also have a crucial role, she added, particularly coast guards and police forces responsible for monitoring territorial waters and ports.

As Europe strengthens protection of undersea cables, pipelines and other critical infrastructure, fishing vessels may increasingly be treated not simply as commercial ships, but as potential instruments of hybrid warfare.

By Sabina Mammadli