British and Norwegian forces have carried out a joint military operation to monitor and deter Russian submarines suspected of conducting “malign activity” near critical undersea infrastructure in the North Atlantic, the U.K. military said Thursday.
U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey said the operation involved a British frigate, surveillance aircraft and hundreds of military personnel who tracked a Russian attack submarine and two intelligence-gathering submarines operating north of the United Kingdom.
According to Healey, the Russian vessels were monitored for more than a month before eventually leaving the area following the coordinated patrols by British and Norwegian forces.
The operation focused on protecting vital undersea infrastructure, including communications cables and energy pipelines that run across the seabed and connect Europe and North America.
Healey delivered a direct warning to Moscow during a news conference, saying Western militaries are closely watching Russian movements near these strategic assets.
“We see your activity over our cables and our pipelines and you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences,” he said.
Concerns about the security of undersea infrastructure have grown in recent years, especially after incidents involving damaged cables and pipelines in European waters. Governments fear that sabotage could disrupt global communications, energy supplies and financial systems.
British officials have also emphasized the need to maintain focus on Russia despite the world’s attention shifting toward the escalating conflicts in the Middle East.
Healey said Moscow may be hoping global attention is diverted away from its actions, particularly as the war in Ukraine continues.
“Putin would want us to be distracted by the Middle East,” Healey said. “But Russia remains the main threat to the U.K. and its allies.”
He added that Western governments believe the conflicts are interconnected, pointing to intelligence that Russia has provided Iran with drone components and other military assistance.
“We will not take our eyes off Putin,” Healey said.
The joint monitoring mission highlights growing cooperation between NATO allies in protecting critical infrastructure and countering Russian military activity in the Atlantic region.
