A suspected Russian spy device has been discovered off the coast of Wales by a group of volunteer divers cleaning up rubbish. The object was found in the Skomer Marine Conservation Zone in Pembrokeshire on 15 November by Tim Smith-Gosling, a diver with Neptune's Army of Rubbish Cleaners (NARC).
The team initially thought the device was a navigational marker but later suspected it to be a sonobuoy, an acoustic monitoring device typically used to locate submarines. Independent defence analysts examined the device and said they were 'confident' it was a Russian RGB-1A sonobuoy. The battered device measured about 50 inches in length and weighed 2.4 stone.
The discovery prompted inspections and discussions with the Port Authority Waterway. The diving group said they had not encountered anything like it before, though similar items are not unusual on the UK seabed. A Royal Navy spokesperson declined to comment on specific underwater activities due to operational security, but stated that the Navy continuously monitors and protects UK waters.
The find comes amid increased Russian naval activity near the UK. Two Russian warships were recently intercepted in the English Channel by HMS Severn. The Ministry of Defence reported a 30 per cent rise in Russian activity around the UK over the past two years. Defence Secretary John Healey warned that the Russian spy ship Yantar had been spotted off Scotland, describing its actions as 'deeply dangerous'.
The Russian Embassy in London accused the British government of 'whipping up militaristic hysteria', which it said is 'creating the conditions for new dangerous situations'.
