Volunteer divers uncover suspected Russian sonobuoy in Welsh waters as the United Kingdom reports increased Russian naval activity around its coastline.
Submarine-tracking device suspected to be Russian has been discovered off the coast of Wales by volunteer divers, intensifying concerns over heightened Russian activity around UK waters.
The object was found on Saturday November 15, 2025, in the Skomer Marine Conservation Zone, Pembrokeshire, by members of Neptune’s Army of Rubbish Cleaners (NARC), a volunteer diving group known for clearing marine debris. The team initially assumed the device was a navigational aid, but later suspected it was a sonobuoy — an acoustic sensor commonly used to detect submarine movement.
Independent defense analysts who examined photographs of the object said they were “confident” it is a Russian RGB-1A sonobuoy, a model linked to naval surveillance operations. The device, described as battered and partly lodged in a rocky gulley, measured roughly 50 inches in length and weighed just over 2.4 stone. It was located by diver Tim Smith-Gosling during a routine underwater clean-up.
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While unusual, the discovery is not unprecedented. Similar military devices have been recovered from the seabed in UK waters in the past, often linked to routine naval operations or ocean drift. The group said it had “never encountered anything like it,” prompting consultations with port authorities and maritime experts.
A Royal Navy spokesperson declined to confirm the object’s origin, citing operational security. “The Royal Navy continuously monitors and protects UK waters with a range of maritime assets,” the spokesperson told the BBC. “We work closely with allies and partners to maintain situational awareness and deter threats to UK interests.”
The find comes amid a marked uptick in Russian military movements near British territory. The Ministry of Defense reports a 30% rise in Russian naval activity around the UK over the past two years. In recent days, HMS Severn intercepted two Russian vessels — the corvette Stoikiy and the tanker Yelnya — as they transited through the Dover Strait. Monitoring duties were later transferred to a NATO partner off the French coast.
Defense Secretary John Healey also revealed that the Russian intelligence-gathering ship Yantar had been detected off Scotland. He called its actions “deeply dangerous” and issued a warning to Moscow: “We see you. We know what you’re doing, and if the Yantar travels south this week, we are ready.”
The Russian Embassy in London rejected the British government’s concerns, accusing it of “whipping up militaristic hysteria” and “creating the conditions for new dangerous situations.”
Investigations into the sonobuoy’s origin and how it reached UK waters remain ongoing.