NATO Allies Foil Russian Subsea Cable Sabotage Plot
The allies said Russian vessels rehearsed disabling undersea cables and were forced to withdraw before any damage was done.
- Britain, Norway, and the United States confronted Russian vessels near Svalbard this spring, disrupting a covert operation by Moscow's Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research simulating technology to disable critical undersea cables.
- GUGI utilized deep-sea submersibles to simulate deploying sophisticated technology intended to sever global connectivity in the event of NATO conflict, the officials said.
- Maritime risk analytics firm Windward reported that drifting activity—where ships map subsea infrastructure—jumped 52% in the North Sea and 88% in the South China Sea last year, viewed as preparation for sabotage.
- Norwegian Defence Minister Tore Sandvik said, "Through our joint operation, we sent a clear message to Russia that they cannot operate covertly," warning that infrastructure attacks will face consequences.
- The 400-mile-wide Bear Gap between Svalbard and mainland Norway holds strategic importance for Russian submarines transiting to the Atlantic, while Bruce Jones of the Brookings Institution noted Europe has dramatically shrunk its capacity to protect vital seabed infrastructure.
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132 Articles
Russia rehearsed how to disable Europe’s undersea communications cables near Svalbard. NATO forces drove them off
British, Norwegian, and US forces tracked Russian vessels using deep-sea submersibles to simulate an operation designed to disable critical cables linking Svalbard with mainland Norway.
NATO allies foil Russian subsea cable sabotage plot | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
LONDON/WASHINGTON >> Deep in Arctic waters near the remote Svalbard archipelago this spring, NATO allies caught Russian subs training to unleash a secret weapon designed to disable critical undersea cables without leaving any fingerprints.
The Russian armed forces this spring organized exercises in the Arctic near the Norwegian Archipelago of Spitzbergen, using the latest deep-sea technology during the operation, and the purpose of the exercises was allegedly to exploit the possibility of covert damage to telecommunications cables on a large scale.
A joint operation of British, Norwegian and American forces intercepted Russian submarines in the Arctic. Moscow was testing a secret weapon targeting critical submarine cables.
This spring, Russian submarines were discovered in and near British and Norwegian waters. They were practicing with a new secret weapon with the aim of destroying important undersea cables. But they never succeeded – Norway, the US and the UK managed to stop them together.
NATO managed to prevent Russia from testing a new weapon off Svalbard: We sent them a clear message. ...
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