[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-640095-105":59,"doc-detail-640095-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","putins-trawlers-spy-on-britain-newspaper-analysis","Putin’s trawlers spy on Britain - Newspaper analysis","","Telegraph analysis describes Russia using civilian fishing fleets as “commercial proxies” to map and threaten UK and European undersea communications cables. Nato reportedly tracks vessels conducting espionage for Vladimir Putin, while the Government plans a security crackdown with longer jail terms and unlimited fines. Using four and a half years of tracking data, the report identifies numerous incidents, including detailed manoeuvres near key cable systems.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/putins-trawlers-spy-on-britain-newspaper-analysis/640095/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/putins-trawlers-spy-on-britain-newspaper-analysis/640095.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"SANS","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-03","2026-10-22",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":34},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the Telegraph claiming about Russia’s fishing vessels?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The Telegraph reports that Russia is deploying its fishing fleet to spy on and potentially threaten the UK’s critical undersea cables using “commercial proxies.”","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does the report support its analysis?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"It uses thousands of hours of tracking data, including four and a half years from Global Fishing Watch, and cross-references vessel movements with nautical charts of undersea cables.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Why are the cables considered vital to the UK?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The cables carry data for large parts of UK economic activity, connecting Britain with the US and Europe; disrupting them could affect banks, hospitals, transport and mobile phones.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},640095,1792919517,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":34,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":41,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144},962090760505,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","Thursday 22 October 2026 *** [telegraph.co.uk](telegraph.co.uk) No 53,328 £4.00  \n\n| R.I.P. the thong 1993 – 2026 Features\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>United humiliated in 4-1 loss to Como | \u003Cbr>Sport\u003Cbr>|\n| --- | --- |\n\nNEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR  \n\n| Putin’s trawlers spy on Britain |  |  |  |  |  |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Telegraph analysis tracks 500 Russian fishing vessels above vital undersea cables\u003Cbr>By Gareth Corfield, Ollie Corfe, Rozina Saburand Tom Cotterill\u003Cbr>RUSSIA is deploying its fishing fleet to spy on the UK’s critical undersea cables, The Telegraph can disclose.\u003Cbr>Civilian vessels are being tracked by Nato as they carry out espionage for Vladimir Putin in waters around Britain. Ministers have confirmed that Moscow is using the “commercial proxies”to threaten vital undersea infrastructure.\u003Cbr>Today the Government will lay out plans for cable saboteurs to face lengthy jail terms and unlimited fines as part of a security crackdown.\u003Cbr>Analysis by The Telegraph has uncovered more than 500 incidents in which Russian trawlers loitered above vital communications cables linking Britain with Europe and the US, or followed their routes for miles. It suggests that Russian vessels are mapping the precise locations of fibre-optic cables carrying billions of pounds of economic activity\u003Cbr>‘We’re aware of what they’re up to. Some of the ships have never seen a single fish on their deck’\u003Cbr>every day, potentially allowing them tobe attacked in a future conflict with Nato. Such a move would risk paralysing the country by disrupting banks, hospitals, the transport network and mobile phones.\u003Cbr>The cables’ general routes are known, but any attack would require accurate knowledge of their exact position on the seabed.\u003Cbr>The Telegraph analysed thousands of hours of data that show the movements of Russia’s fishing fleet and found previously undisclosed manoeuvres by several vessels that appear to position themselves over vital cables in the North Atlantic.\u003Cbr>The analysis suggests that the Kremlin is carrying out subterfuge on the high seas on a scale not previously realised, unchecked by the Royal Navy and in defiance of repeated warnings from the British authorities.\u003Cbr>A Nato source confirmed to The Telegraph: “We’re absolutely aware of what Russian civilian fishing ships are up to and where ... Some of these ships have never seen a single fish on their deck.”\u003Cbr>The vessels appear to be ordinary working trawlers, operating alongside other commercial fishing boats. But their movements show a repeated pat- | |  |  |  | For the next 10 miles, she sailed along the route of an old, decommissioned telecommunications cable . She then reversed course and followed it back in the opposite direction.\u003Cbr>Immediately afterwards, Ship C turned north-west and slowed as she crossed two live cables: Google’s Grace Hopper, which runs between Britain and the US, and Amitié, linking Britain with France and Spain.\u003Cbr>The cable passes through the “special zone”, an area where the UK and Faroe Islands have overlapping exclusive economic zones. Until 2024, the Faroes exchanged some of their fishing quota with Russia, giving Russian vessels access to the shared waters.\u003Cbr>There are growing warnings that Russia is preparing to strike the critical infrastructure upon which Britain depends. Last month, it emerged that Britain had observed Russian submarines testing a secret new weapon designed to disable critical cables in the Arctic waters off the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard.\u003Cbr>About £65bn of UK economic activity depends on subsea communications cables carrying data between Britain and the US. Earlier this year, a Russian exercise targeting undersea cables in British waters was detected and disrupted by the Navy. British and Norwe-\u003Cbr>‘The hold could be easily used for other activities to store an uncrewed surface vehicle’\u003Cbr>gian vessels tracked two of Moscow’s Gugi submarines and an Akula-class attack submarine engaged in a monthlong surveillance oper","cbCaic3EGLmt1NV9","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaic3EGLmt1NV9","pdf",24990180,"English","# Putin’s trawlers spy on Britain\n## Russia’s fishing fleet as proxies\n## Targeting communications cables\n## Evidence and data analysis\n## Risk to UK infrastructure\n## Government and defence response","[{\"question\":\"What is the Telegraph claiming about Russia’s fishing vessels?\",\"answer\":\"The Telegraph reports that Russia is deploying its fishing fleet to spy on and potentially threaten the UK’s critical undersea cables using “commercial proxies.”\"},{\"question\":\"How does the report support its analysis?\",\"answer\":\"It uses thousands of hours of tracking data, including four and a half years from Global Fishing Watch, and cross-references vessel movements with nautical charts of undersea cables.\"},{\"question\":\"Why are the cables considered vital to the UK?\",\"answer\":\"The cables carry data for large parts of UK economic activity, connecting Britain with the US and Europe; disrupting them could affect banks, hospitals, transport and mobile phones.\"}]","Putin’s trawlers spy on Britain - Newspaper analysis | PDF",1792707672,76]