[Goose]

Lloyd's List has an article out about the Eagle S
https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1151955/Rus...-equipment

It was outfitted with non-standard surveillance that allowed it to monitor NATO naval and air traffic.

The transmitting and receiving devices were used to record all radio frequencies, and upon reaching Russia were offloaded for analysis.

“They were monitoring all Nato naval ships and aircraft,” Lloyd’s List was told.

“They had all details on them. They were just matching their frequencies.

“Russians, Turkish, Indian radio officers were operating it.”

Eagle S also dropped “sensors-type devices” in the English Channel during a transit, they said.

They said no further equipment returned to the ship after it was offloaded for analysis, to their knowledge, but other devices were placed on another related tanker, Swiftsea Rider.

Nothing surprising about Russia using ostensibly commercial vessels for intelligence collection. What IS surprising is that they utilized a so-equipped vessel for "active measures" like ripping up power cables. Normally that would be avoided as such activity is much more prone to detection (and subsequent detention) than intelligence collection. Intelligence collectors are ideally unremarkable vessels just engaging in "normal commercial activities". Do NOTHING to call attention to yourselves. FWIW, "everybody" does the same.

Russia has forever maintained a fleet of "trawlers" that "fish" more in the ether than they do in the sea. Most of these ships are known AGIs. There is a joke about the one that sits off the mouth of Pearl Harbor. After the fall of the Soviet Union, it was recalled to Russia and not replaced. Eventually (like 15 years later) Russia dispatched a new "fishing vessel" to sit off the harbor. A US destroyer on the way into port signaled to it via flashing lamp "Glad you are back. It makes finding the channel entrance much easier" :-). For a look at the less clandestine Russian efforts look at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnya-cl...gence_ship https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yury_Ivano...gence_ship  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spy_ship

Both Russia and the US have in the past maintained various acknowledged intelligence collectors (AGIs). There were several types. The most "famous" ones were AGTRs named USS Oxford, USS Georgetown, USS Jamestown, USS Belmont and USS Liberty. The similar AEGRs were named USS Banner, USS Pueblo, and USS Long Beach. The AGs were USNS Private Jose F. Valdez, USNS Lt. James E. Robinson, and USNS Sgt. Joseph E. Muller. These later ships were somewhat more "deniable" as they had civilian crews.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_research_ship 

Pueblo was attacked and captured by North Korea. Liberty was attacked by Israeli warplanes and PT boats resulting in significant loss of life onboard. Nothing ever happened to Oxford, although she actually did a lot of important things for the country.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pueblo_(AGER-2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Liberty https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Oxford...ted_AGTR-1

[Goose]

Lloyd's List has an article out about the Eagle S
https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1151955/Rus...-equipment

It was outfitted with non-standard surveillance that allowed it to monitor NATO naval and air traffic.

The transmitting and receiving devices were used to record all radio frequencies, and upon reaching Russia were offloaded for analysis.

“They were monitoring all Nato naval ships and aircraft,” Lloyd’s List was told.

“They had all details on them. They were just matching their frequencies.

“Russians, Turkish, Indian radio officers were operating it.”

Eagle S also dropped “sensors-type devices” in the English Channel during a transit, they said.

They said no further equipment returned to the ship after it was offloaded for analysis, to their knowledge, but other devices were placed on another related tanker, Swiftsea Rider.

Nothing surprising about Russia using ostensibly commercial vessels for intelligence collection. What IS surprising is that they utilized a so-equipped vessel for "active measures" like ripping up power cables. Normally that would be avoided as such activity is much more prone to detection (and subsequent detention) than intelligence collection. Intelligence collectors are ideally unremarkable vessels just engaging in "normal commercial activities". Do NOTHING to call attention to yourselves. FWIW, "everybody" does the same.

Russia has forever maintained a fleet of "trawlers" that "fish" more in the ether than they do in the sea. Most of these ships are known AGIs. There is a joke about the one that sits off the mouth of Pearl Harbor. After the fall of the Soviet Union, it was recalled to Russia and not replaced. Eventually (like 15 years later) Russia dispatched a new "fishing vessel" to sit off the harbor. A US destroyer on the way into port signaled to it via flashing lamp "Glad you are back. It makes finding the channel entrance much easier" :-). For a look at the less clandestine Russian efforts look at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnya-cl...gence_ship https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yury_Ivano...gence_ship  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spy_ship

Both Russia and the US have in the past maintained various acknowledged intelligence collectors (AGIs). There were several types. The most "famous" ones were AGTRs named USS Oxford, USS Georgetown, USS Jamestown, USS Belmont and USS Liberty. The similar AEGRs were named USS Banner, USS Pueblo, and USS Long Beach. The AGs were USNS Private Jose F. Valdez, USNS Lt. James E. Robinson, and USNS Sgt. Joseph E. Muller. These later ships were somewhat more "deniable" as they had civilian crews.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_research_ship 

Pueblo was attacked and captured by North Korea. Liberty was attacked by Israeli warplanes and PT boats resulting in significant loss of life onboard. Nothing ever happened to Oxford, although she actually did a lot of important things for the country.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pueblo_(AGER-2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Liberty https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Oxford...ted_AGTR-1