UK and Norway deter Russian subs in North Atlantic operation
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- Britain and Norway conducted a weeks-long military operation to track and deter Russian spy submarines near undersea cables in the North Atlantic, involving Royal Navy assets and hundreds of personnel.
- The operation successfully prevented Russian vessels from carrying out "nefarious" activities against underwater infrastructure, with no evidence of damage to cables or pipelines.
- The Russian submarines, linked to Russia’s Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research (GUGI), were operating in the UK’s exclusive economic zone but not territorial waters, highlighting Moscow’s efforts to map and potentially sabotage critical Western infrastructure.
- UK Defense Secretary John Healey emphasized that any attempts to damage underwater infrastructure would not be tolerated and warned of serious consequences, while also noting that Russia is exploiting global distractions like the Middle East conflict.
- Experts suggest that publicly calling out Russian activities may serve as a deterrent, but stress the need for Europe to consider stronger responses to Russia’s increasingly bold incursions.
