Military forces from the United Kingdom were mobilized following the identification of suspicious activities by Russian submarines in the North Sea, as disclosed by officials.
British Defence Secretary John Healey accused the Russian military, under President Vladimir Putin, of attempting to exploit the ongoing conflict in the Middle East as a cover for a sabotage operation targeting undersea infrastructure.
As of now, the Kremlin has not responded to the allegations made by the UK.
The UK dispatched naval vessels to safeguard against any potential attacks on vital cables and pipelines by Russian submarines that had been operating in British waters for over a month earlier this year, according to Defence Minister John Healey.
Britain has alleged that Russia is using the distraction from the Middle Eastern conflict to execute covert operations in the High North maritime area, which is crucial for shipping routes and contains essential infrastructure like undersea cables.
Healey stated that British forces, alongside allies including Norway, successfully monitored and deterred the Russian vessels’ harmful activities. He noted that the submarines have since departed the area and there are no indications of any damage to undersea infrastructures.
During a press conference where he disclosed the operation, Healey emphasized the importance of making it clear to President Putin that such activities were being observed. “To President Putin, I say, ‘We see you. We see your activity over our cables and our pipelines, and you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences,’” he remarked.
He further added, “Our armed forces made it clear that they were under surveillance, that their movements were not as secretive as President Putin intended, and that their covert operation had been unveiled.”
The Russian embassy in London has not yet responded to a request for a statement. Moscow has previously dismissed accusations of involvement in incidents where undersea cables in Europe were damaged.
In his statements, Healey detailed that the Russian operation included an Akula class attack submarine and two specialized submarines from Moscow’s Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research (GUGI), which are equipped for monitoring underwater infrastructure during peacetime and sabotaging it in times of conflict.
Upon noticing the Russian vessels entering international waters, the British Navy deployed a frigate, a support tanker, and a maritime patrol aircraft to track their movements. Norway’s defence ministry confirmed that it had also mobilized a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft and a frigate.
Healey mentioned that while the submarines did not breach British territorial waters, they operated within the broader maritime zone known as the ‘Exclusive Economic Zone’ surrounding the UK and the territorial waters of its allies.
The UK’s naval capabilities have faced scrutiny recently, particularly after US President Donald Trump criticized Britain’s military response to the conflict in Iran, referring to its aircraft carriers as “toys.” Healey addressed this criticism, stating that it was not in the UK’s national interest to deploy all military resources to that region.
He emphasized, “The most significant threats are often hidden and silent. As defense demands increase, we must optimally allocate our resources.”
NATO allies have increased their presence in the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea following a series of outages affecting power cables, telecommunications, and gas pipelines since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Most of these disruptions have been attributed to civilian vessels dragging their anchors.
