Defence Secretary John Healey has revealed that a Royal Navy warship and aircraft tracked and forced Russian submarines to abandon efforts to survey vital undersea infrastructure in the North Atlantic. Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, Healey said the month-long operation involved monitoring three Russian submarines, including an Akula class nuclear-powered vessel and two deep-sea submarines from Russia's directorate for deep sea research (Gugi).
The operation took place in the UK's exclusive economic zone, which extends up to 200 nautical miles from the coastline. Healey stated that the Russian activity occurred while global attention was focused on the Middle East due to the US-Israeli attack on Iran. He warned President Putin: 'We see you. 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.'
Healey confirmed that no damage to pipelines or cables had been detected, but UK forces and allies would verify this. The Russian submarines were monitored 24/7, with the Akula eventually retreating home and the Gugi submarines leaving UK waters after being exposed. Sonar buoys were regularly deployed to demonstrate that their movements were not covert.
The Ministry of Defence noted that Gugi has specialist vessels capable of surveying underwater infrastructure during peacetime and could damage or destroy vital links in conflict. Healey emphasised that Russia is viewed as the primary threat to the UK and Nato, and that the operation demonstrated the UK's ability to detect, deter, and respond to protect undersea infrastructure.
