Kremlin traps: how Russia stole a system to track US submarines from the West

How did the Russian Federation circumvent the prohibitions of the West, using its noble values? According to media reports, a company registered in Cyprus purchased advanced sonar tracking equipment from the West and then transferred it to Russia for use in the Arctic. Focus translated the article by analyst Brandon Weichert "How Russia stole a system for tracking American submarines from the West" for The National Interest portal.

The article tries to find out why the Kremlin got a tool for underwater espionage without any problems and how dangerous it is. When it comes to fighting enemies, the West is still its own worst enemy. In all business, the United States and its Western partners value openness above all else. This is how the West became incredibly rich. Many believe that it is precisely because of this that the West has achieved such rapid technological progress. But this approach has many disadvantages.

In particular, America's former rivals, primarily China and Russia, regularly use this openness in their interests. China's entire journey as an industrial giant was made possible by a massive and continuous program of industrial espionage against America. Now The Washington Post reports that the Russians have done something similar. But while China's espionage is comprehensive, Russia's is more targeted.

In this case, the Russians gained access to secret Western technology to build their Harmony underwater sensor network, which the Russian Navy uses to protect passageways to Russia's top-secret nuclear submarine bases in the Arctic. It is reported that "Harmony" forms a semicircular tracking belt stretching from Murmansk to Franz Josef Land. The belt serves as a kind of network of traps to detect NATO submarines operating near the naval bases of Russian nuclear weapons.

The Harmony system consists of underwater sonar antennas, underwater drones, fiber optic cables and communications antennas designed to detect approaching US and NATO submarines. Russia defends its naval nuclear potential. This is an important element of the country's nuclear deterrent, as sea-based nuclear missiles (which are launched from submarines) are considered second-strike weapons.

In other words, the naval component of the nuclear triad allows a country attacked by another nuclear power to launch nuclear missiles even after a devastating first strike against its underground mines. "Harmony" is part of Russia's "Bastion Defense" (anti-access/area-denial, or A2/AD) strategy for the Kola Peninsula region. According to The Washington Post, the Cypriot company Mostrello Commercial Ltd. acted as a "pad" for the Russian defense sector.

Mostrello procured high-tech marine equipment such as sonar systems, underwater antennas, fiber optic cables, underwater drones capable of operating at depths of up to 3,000 meters, and seabed positioning systems. Mostrello has acquired key systems from a number of suppliers from the USA, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Italy and other NATO countries.

Presumably, Mostrello's real client was the Moscow-based firm "Upravlinnia perspektivnykh tehnologii" (UPT), which mostly works with Russian special services, such as the FSB and SZR. Thanks to the Harmony system, based on Western components, the Russian Navy can track and evade any US submarines tracking their nuclear-powered ballistic submarines operating in the Arctic. This eliminates a key advantage that the Americans have enjoyed for a long time.

Previously, in the event of a crisis, the US Navy could always count on its stealth submarines to infiltrate Russian territory and monitor the actions of Russian nuclear submarines to gauge their intentions. The Harmony detection system makes it virtually impossible for US submarines to covertly monitor Russian targets. The Russians are interested in keeping the Americans and NATO out of the Arctic, which they consider theirs.

Along with the installation in the Arctic of the advanced Russian Harmony system, the introduction of advanced Yasen-class attack submarines and Borei-class anti-ship submarines is taking place. Without the ability to closely track these advanced and powerful Russian submarines, US deterrence is virtually impossible. Additionally, the Washington Post article highlights the woefully inadequate measures the US is taking to protect its technological secrets from competitors.

But maybe the whole thing has evil intentions. Political corruption in both parties in the US has reached epidemic levels, and elected leaders and other influential government officials are trying to cash in on their government careers. In an odd footnote to this story, the Washington Post points out that Mostrello's offices in Cyprus were in the same building as Burisma, a Ukrainian energy giant believed to have played a major role in Hunter Biden's corruption schemes in Ukraine.