British naval ships tracked three Russian submarines operating near the United Kingdom for more than a month in what officials described as a suspected intelligence-gathering mission targeting critical undersea cables and energy infrastructure.
The Russian ships included a nuclear-powered attack vessel and two specialized deep-sea surveillance subs, Defense Secretary John Healey told reporters on April 9.
Healey said the operation involved the Royal Navy working with Norwegian and other allied forces, as part of broader efforts to counter what he called “malign activity” by Russia in strategically sensitive waters.
“We’ve exposed those covert operations. We’ve made clear to [Russian President Vladimir Putin] and his submarines that we’ve watched them every step of the way,” Healey said, adding that British forces deployed maritime patrol aircraft and sonar systems to maintain constant surveillance.
Secretive Underwater Surveillance
The British Defense Ministry said the two specialized submarines were operated by Russia’s Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research.
According to defense experts, GUGI is one of Russia’s most secretive entities, tasked with underwater surveillance and operating nuclear-powered deep-sea mini-submarines used for covert missions.
No damage to cables or pipelines was reported, and the Russian vessels eventually left the area, according to British officials.
The reported activity comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West following Moscow’s ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022 and a series of suspected sabotage incidents targeting infrastructure in Europe in recent years.
Russia rejected the claims by British officials.
“Russia does not threaten underwater infrastructure that is indeed critically important to the United Kingdom. We do not use aggressive rhetoric on this issue,” the Russian Embassy in London said.
