Overview
- Defence Secretary John Healey disclosed Thursday that the UK and allies tracked an Akula-class attack sub and two GUGI spy submarines for more than a month near vital cables and pipelines, with the vessels withdrawing and no damage found.
- The UK kept constant contact using HMS St Albans, RFA Tidespring, Merlin helicopters and RAF P-8 patrol aircraft, with sonobuoys in the water and Norwegian forces helping to watch the area.
- The Ministry of Defence assessed the Akula boat as a decoy while two deep-sea GUGI vessels lingered over infrastructure before heading north once the operation was exposed.
- Following Wednesday’s English Channel transit by a Russian frigate escorting sanctioned tankers, London restated new powers to seize ‘shadow fleet’ ships as officials said Moscow is rerouting or escorting oil carriers to avoid interception.
- Undersea fibre-optic cables carry about 99% of global internet and financial traffic, so safeguarding them protects phone service, payments and energy links that people and businesses rely on every day.