Overview
- Britain’s defence minister disclosed Thursday that UK and Norwegian forces monitored suspected Russian activity for about a month near cables and pipelines north of the country.
- He said the group included an Akula-class attack submarine and two GUGI deep-sea vessels, which are known for surveying the seabed and carrying gear that can tamper with infrastructure.
- A Royal Navy frigate, RAF P-8 patrol aircraft, and hundreds of personnel conducted round-the-clock tracking, and London says the submarines then moved north out of British waters.
- Officials report no signs of damage to cables or pipelines and say checks with allies continue, noting the activity took place in the UK exclusive economic zone rather than its territorial waters.
- The Kremlin cast recent naval moves as anti-piracy protection of Russian trade, while the UK stresses that seabed cables carry almost all international data and pipelines supply much of Britain’s heating gas.