Information
The UK and Norway have launched joint naval patrols to protect undersea cables and pipelines from Russian activity in the North Atlantic. A fleet of at least 13 warships is involved, following an agreement signed by both countries’ defence ministers in December. British Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed that a frigate, planes and hundreds of personnel monitored a Russian attack submarine and two spy submarines near undersea infrastructure north of the UK, with the Russian vessels eventually leaving after an operation lasting more than a month. Healey warned that any attempt to damage the infrastructure “will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences.”
NATO has described persistent attacks on undersea cables as the most active threat to Western infrastructure, with cables severed in the Baltic Sea in November raising serious concerns about sabotage. Russia has reportedly been running a long-standing programme, known as the Russian Undersea Research Programme, which maps cables and energy pipelines using research ships, submarines and remotely operated vehicles. Britain also warned it is ready to take action against Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers, which are used to ship oil in violation of international sanctions. Russian naval activity around UK waters has increased by 30% in the past two years.
Source: BBC, EuroNews
So What
Russia’s actions come as no surprise, as the same tactics have been seen in other locations, and this is almost certainly part of a wider grey zone campaign aimed at collecting intelligence and sowing chaos across Europe. The UK and Europe must therefore remain on high alert, not only for physical acts of sabotage such as this, but also for Russian operations in the cyber and information space.
Follow us to join the intelligence community!