Several allies were forced to deploy means to force Russian forces to leave European space, in an operation that lasted more than a month and was close to submarine cables.
The United Kingdom, Norway and other countries carried out a multi-week operation to detain Russian spy submarines near submarine cables in the North Atlantic, the United Kingdom’s defense chief confirmed this Thursday, accusing Moscow of using the distraction of the war with Iran to intensify malicious activities against Europe.
The Defense Secretary said a Royal Navy frigate, aircraft and hundreds of military personnel were involved in tracking a Russian attack submarine and two spy submarines operating north of the UK, and stopping the spy craft from carrying out “nefarious” operations.
John Healey added that the Russian vessels finally left the area after the operation, which lasted more than a month.
The UK said other allies were also involved, but did not name them.
NATO countries have repeatedly expressed concern that Russia could use its fleet of spy ships to sabotage undersea cables on which global communications depend. Russia has rejected these allegations.
Healey said his message to Russian President Vladimir Putin was: “We see your activity on our cables and our pipelines and you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences.”
Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik said in a statement that the Russian operation took place in Norwegian and British maritime areas in recent weeks.
Norway and the United Kingdom stated that the activity was coordinated by Russia’s Main Directorate for Deepwater Research, known as GUGI, which is part of the Russian Armed Forces. The activity serves as a reminder that Russia is improving its capabilities to map and sabotage critical Western infrastructure at great ocean depths, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense said.
Healey added that submarines are “designed to monitor underwater infrastructure in times of peace and sabotage it in the event of conflict.”
In November, the United Kingdom informed Russia that it was prepared to deal with any incursion into its territory following the detection of the Yantar spy ship off the edge of British waters north of Scotland.
Healey said the underwater activity occurred in the UK’s exclusive economic zone, which runs 230 miles (370 kilometers) offshore, but not in its narrower territorial waters.
British authorities have tried to keep Russia in the international spotlight, even with global attention focused on the conflict in the Middle East. They have also emphasized the overlap between the conflicts in the region and in Ukraine, saying that Russia has provided Iran with drone parts and other types of support.
Healey declared at a press conference that “Putin would like us to be distracted by the Middle East”, but Russia is the main threat to the United Kingdom and its allies.
“We will not take our eyes off Putin,” he said.
At the end of March, the United Kingdom declared that its Armed Forces were ready to seize ships suspected of being part of the Russian “parallel fleet”, made up of vessels transporting oil in violation of international sanctions imposed by Moscow’s war against Ukraine. Previously, the UK only assisted France and the US in monitoring ships before they were boarded.
“We are ready to act” against the vessels, added Healey.
