UK says Russia ran submarine operation over cables and pipelines

UK says Russia ran submarine operation over cables and pipelines

According to the UK Defence Secretary John Healey, three Russian submarines recently undertook a covert mission near the waters north of the United Kingdom, focusing on the area surrounding vital undersea cables and pipelines. In response to this activity, British naval forces, including a warship and aircraft, were dispatched to counter what Healey described as Moscow’s malign intentions. He emphasized that there is currently no indication of any damage to Britain’s infrastructure in the Atlantic resulting from these operations.

Healey addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin in strong terms during a Downing Street press briefing, warning that Britain was watching the submarine movements closely: “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.” Meanwhile, the Russian embassy in London disputed these accusations, stating through Moscow’s Tass news agency that Russia was not threatening the UK’s underwater installations, asserting, “We are not using aggressive rhetoric in this regard.”

The UK relies heavily on undersea cables and pipelines for critical communications and energy supply. Approximately 60 undersea cables land on parts of the UK coastline, mainly along East Anglia and South West England, carrying more than 90% of the country’s everyday internet traffic. Healey revealed that Russia deployed an Akula-class attack submarine as a diversionary force while two specialized GUGI spy submarines conducted surveillance on these cables. After being closely monitored, the attack submarine withdrew, but the GUGI vessels remained in the vicinity. The Royal Navy’s assets including the frigate HMS St Albans, the replenishment tanker RFA Tidespring, and anti-submarine Merlin helicopters were actively involved in tracking these submarines, alongside international partners, with Norway specifically acknowledged by Healey.

The Russian GUGI unit, part of the Russian navy yet with a direct line to the country’s

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