Overview
- The network, active from 2012 to at least 2024, draws on fibre‑optic cable, high‑precision acoustic sensors, antennas and deep‑diving drones sourced from Western vendors.
- Reporters say the installed sensors form a semi‑circular barrier near Murmansk and Novaya Zemlya that can monitor and potentially localize NATO submarines entering Russia’s bastions.
- Mostrello Commercial Ltd. in Cyprus handled purchases exceeding €50 million and is linked in reporting to Russian parent firms UPT/Upt and figure Alexey Strelchenko.
- German authorities convicted a Russian intermediary in July after a probe launched on a CIA tip, and court testimony noted a partner warning in 2021.
- Transactions touched suppliers in the United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden and Italy, and many company officials say they did not knowingly breach export rules.