Britain deployed military assets earlier this year to deter suspected Russian submarine activity targeting critical undersea infrastructure, Defence Secretary John Healey said on Thursday.
The move came after Russian submarines operated for more than a month in and around British waters, raising concerns about potential threats to vital cables and pipelines. The UK government accused Russia of attempting a covert operation in the High North maritime region, an area crucial for global shipping routes and underwater infrastructure.
According to Healey, British forces—working alongside allies including Norway—tracked and deterred the vessels. He confirmed that the submarines have since left the المنطقة and there were no signs of damage to infrastructure.
In a direct warning to Vladimir Putin, Healey said: “We see your activity over our cables and pipelines… any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences.” He added that the operation was made public to demonstrate that the suspected covert mission had been exposed.
The Russian operation reportedly involved an Akula-class attack submarine along with two specialist submarines linked to Moscow’s deep-sea research unit, designed to survey and potentially sabotage underwater infrastructure.
In response, Britain deployed a frigate, a support tanker, and a maritime patrol aircraft to monitor the vessels’ movements. Norway also contributed with a P-8 patrol aircraft and a naval frigate.
Healey noted that while the submarines did not enter UK territorial waters, they operated within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone and nearby allied waters.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions between NATO allies and Russia since the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In recent years, several outages affecting power cables, telecommunications lines, and gas pipelines in Europe have raised security concerns, though many incidents have been attributed to civilian vessels.
Healey also responded to criticism from Donald Trump regarding Britain’s military capabilities, emphasizing that the UK must deploy its resources strategically rather than concentrating all assets in one region.
“The greatest threats are often unseen and silent,” he said, highlighting the growing importance of protecting underwater infrastructure as geopolitical tensions persist.