Russian Ship That Sank Off The Coast Of Spain Was Secretly Carrying Nuclear Reactor Parts For North Korea
- 30.12.2025, 9:47
The fact is confirmed by the investigation documents.
The aggressor country Russia, under the cover of civilian shipping, is helping North Korea develop nuclear weapons. On the Russian dry cargo ship that sank last year off the coast of Spain found parts of a nuclear reactor, intended for the DPRK.
The fact of transportation of such cargo is confirmed by investigative documents. This was reported by the Spanish newspaper La Verdad.
Russia's cover for peaceful shipping
In December 2024, Spanish maritime search and rescue services noticed the Ursa Major vessel in the Strait of Gibraltar changing course unusually. After a while, the dry cargo ship veered to the left, slowed down and began to drift. The next 24 hours after these strange maneuvers, a distress call was received, and Spanish authorities dispatched search and rescue teams.
The ship was found to be missing two engineering crew members, the engine room was sealed shut, and 14 survivors were ready to abandon ship. After they were evacuated, the dry cargo ship sank. The ship's captain said the vessel was carrying 100 empty containers, two crawler cranes and two large components for an icebreaker. He said the cargo was bound for Vladivostok.
According to documents seen by La Verdad newspaper, Spanish investigators identified that the "icebreaker components" were actually a pair of hulls from VM-4SG nuclear submarine reactors. Such reactors are installed on Dolphin-class nuclear submarines ("Delta IV" by NATO classification) that carry ballistic missiles.
The reactor hulls were identified because they were on the ship's deck and were photographed by spy planes. Normally, information about what nuclear reactors look like is classified, but photos of the VM-4SG are in the public domain.
Russian-DPRK cooperation
Spanish investigators speculate that the cargo's destination was North Korea, which recently launched its first ballistic missile submarine. Analysts believe Russia assisted in the development of the reactor or even provided it entirely.
The cargo itself disappeared from the site of the sinking, and a few days after the crash, the Russian vessel Yantar, which can conduct deep-sea work to lift the wreckage, arrived at the site. The Spanish investigation suggests that the Russians were trying to remove the reactor components or destroy them.