Photo: EPA
Britain, Norway and the United States disrupted a covert Russian operation near the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic this spring, preventing Russian vessels from completing exercises involving technology designed to disable critical undersea cables, Reuters reports.
The operation was conducted by Russia’s Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI). Russian deep-sea submersibles were used to simulate deployment of a sophisticated sabotage system designed to damage fiber-optic cables without leaving obvious evidence of an attack.
British, Norwegian and U.S. forces tracked the Russian vessels and confronted them at sea. The vessels were subsequently prevented from completing the exercise and left the area. No undersea cables were damaged.
“We sent a clear message to Russia that they cannot operate covertly,” Norwegian Defence Minister Tore Sandvik said, adding that any attempt to target critical infrastructure would be detected and met with consequences.
Britain and Norway had already disclosed in April that they had detected covert Russian activity in Arctic waters, but details of the operation, the involvement of the United States and the technology being tested had not previously been made public.
Concern over NATO infrastructure
The incident comes amid growing Western concerns that Russia is expanding sabotage operations across Europe and could be preparing for a potential confrontation with NATO.
Some U.S. intelligence officials are increasingly concerned that Moscow could test Article 5, the Alliance’s collective-defense commitment. Under such a scenario, attacks on undersea cables could become an important tool for disrupting communications and critical infrastructure.
Undersea fiber-optic cables are essential to global internet connectivity and financial transactions. Two cables, each about 1,400 kilometers long, connect Svalbard with mainland Norway and run at depths of up to 2,700 meters. They carry large volumes of satellite data from the SvalSat ground station, the world’s largest satellite ground station and part of NASA’s Near Space Network.
Russia’s Defense Ministry did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied conducting sabotage operations in NATO countries or preparing for a confrontation with the Alliance.
Western countries increase monitoring
British and Norwegian officials subsequently shared their findings with Moscow to make clear that Western countries were aware of the technology, hoping this would deter Russia from using it.
The incident follows a broader increase in Western monitoring of underwater infrastructure. NATO launched Baltic Sentry, while Britain introduced Nordic Warden, to strengthen surveillance and protect critical cables, pipelines and power links.
Washington and London have also imposed sanctions on GUGI over its covert activities in European waters.
