Russia Monitors NATO with Swedish Technology

Swedish and other Western technology has been used to build a Russian surveillance system along the Arctic seabed, according to an investigation by the Swedish SVT News and several international media outlets.

Among other things, this involves underwater robots from Saab.

The system can monitor NATO movements and has been built using technology from companies in Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom and Italy.

According to SVT’s sources, dozens of underwater robots from Swedish defence group Saab have contributed to the construction. The British subsidiary Saab Seaeye is said to have sold the robots to Russia in accordance with the regulations in force at the time until 2018.

Saab stated in a comment to SVT that the business relationship has been terminated for several years.

‘This took place before the British government imposed a ban on further sales to Russia in 2019,’ Saab writes.

The Russian military is also said to have built copies of the Saab robot, according to information provided to SVT.

According to the investigation, communication equipment from a Swedish antenna manufacturer has also been used. The Swedish magazine Dagens Arbete has previously revealed that the company’s products have ended up in the hands of the Russian military.

Some of the technology for the interception system was purchased despite Western sanctions through a network of shell companies, including in Cyprus and Turkey.

Monitoring is carried out by a network of sensors placed along the seabed in the Barents Sea. Russia has previously stated that the ‘Harmony’ system exists, but only now can its location be identified.

The area in question is strategically important for Russia, as nuclear-armed submarines are stationed on the Kola Peninsula in the Barents Sea.