Portuguese waters are increasingly crossed by Russian naval ships – Euractiv

Portuguese waters have seen an increase in traffic by Russian ships, with a vessel specializing in espionage recently passing through, the Portuguese navy’s chief of staff has said.

“There is a transit in our waters of ships from the Russian Federation, an increasingly intense transit, from north to south and from south to north,” Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo said to journalists in Alfeite on Saturday in statements issued by CNN.

According to the admiral, three warships (two frigates and a corvette), two tankers, three scientific research vessels and “a spy ship that normally uses electronic espionage” have passed through Portuguese waters in a very short period of time.

Gouveia e Melo said the navy was closely monitoring this flow of Russian ships.

“Our response to this is to follow them, control them, keep them under constant pressure with our constant presence,” he told reporters.

Admiral Gouveia e Melo attended the arrival of D. Francisco de Almeida to Lisbon’s Alfeite naval base on Sunday.

With a garrison of 167 soldiers, the frigate is participating in a NATO mission.

(Irina Melo | Lusa.pt)