The Arctic Sea cargo ship that disappeared for almost a month was carrying an illegal arms shipment for Iran that was intercepted on behalf of Mossad, according to Russian maritime and military sources.
The Kremlin is alleged to have colluded with the Israeli security service to make sure the ship's deadly load never reached its final destination, avoiding a diplomatic scandal that would have badly damaged Russia's image on the world stage.
A Russian organised crime group was said to have been behind the shipment and was possibly aided by senior Russian government or military figures. A cover-up ensued, it was claimed by sources yesterday.
Mystery has surrounded the ship, officially carrying a cargo of timber worth £1.3 million from Finland to Algeria, since Aug 8 when it was first reported missing. Its crew later claimed that armed raiders posing as members of a Swedish anti-drugs police squad had boarded the vessel on July 24.
The Kremlin dispatched a small armada reminiscent of the Hollywood blockbuster The Hunt for Red October to find the ghost ship. According to the official Kremlin version of events, the Russian navy seized the ship off the coast of West Africa on Aug 17. Others think the navy caught up with the ship days earlier and used the extra time for a cover-up and to remove the secret cargo.
Although there has been no official confirmation from Russia or Israel, Russian maritime and military sources familiar with the matter have made detailed yet anonymous claims in both the Russian and Western media.
They say the ship was probably carrying S300 missiles, Russia's most advanced anti-aircraft weapon, or X55 cruise missiles that can carry conventional of nuclear warheads.
A senior Russian naval official told daily newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda he thought the smugglers had hidden missiles beneath the timber and that they were working "behind the back" of the Russian government.
"They decided to earn some good money," he said.
Had they reached Iran, the missiles would have significantly beefed up its air defence systems in the event of an Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities.
The experts say the weapons were spirited onboard the Arctic Sea while it was being repaired in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, a port where criminal groups are rife and arms smuggling thrives on the fringes of Russia's Baltic Sea Fleet that is based there.
Those who believe Mossad was involved point to a visit to Russia by Shimon Peres, the Israeli president, the day after the Arctic Sea was recovered. The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed he raised the subject of illegal Russian arms sales to countries hostile to Israel.
Russia has since charged eight men from Estonia, Latvia and Russia with kidnapping and piracy.
Mikhail Voitenko, a journalist and maritime expert, said last week he feared for his life after a warning call from a "cold official voice" thought to be an intelligence agent after he speculated the Arctic Sea was smuggling weapons.
Mr Voitenko, who has since fled the country, said: "Very important government people got involved in this business. I ran away because I was afraid."
Source: Agencies
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