UK says it deployed military to deter Russian submarines from attack on undersea cables

Norway’s defense ministry said its armed forces had also deployed a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft and a frigate.

Defense NewsMuvija M and Catarina Demony, Reuters2026-04-09 14:55查看原文 ↗

LONDON — Britain deployed military vessels to prevent any attacks on cables and pipelines by Russian submarines which spent more than a month in and around British waters earlier this year, its defense minister John Healey said on Thursday.

Britain accused Russia of using the distraction of events in the Middle East to try to conduct the covert operation in the High North maritime region, home to key shipping routes and critical infrastructure such as undersea cables.

Healey said British forces and allies including Norway tracked and deterred malign activity by the Russian vessels, adding that the submarines had now left the area and there were no signs of damage to underwater infrastructure.

Revealing the operation publicly at a press conference, Healey said the intent was to show Russian President Vladimir Putin the activity had been detected.

“To President Putin, I say ‘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,’” he said.

“Our armed forces left them in no doubt that they were being monitored, that their movements were not covert, as President Putin planned, and that their attempted secret operation had been exposed.”

Russia’s embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Moscow has previously denied allegations of involvement in a serious of incidents in which European countries’ cables were damaged.

Healey said the Russian operation involved a Russian Akula-class attack submarine and two specialist submarines from Moscow’s Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research (GUGI).

“They are designed to survey underwater infrastructure during peacetime, and sabotage it in conflict,” Healey said.

After detecting the Russian vessels passing into international waters, Britain sent a frigate, a support tanker and a maritime patrol aircraft to monitor their movements.

Norway’s defense ministry said its armed forces had also deployed a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft and a frigate.

Healey said the submarines had not entered Britain’s territorial waters, but had been in the wider band of sea around the country, known as its ‘Exclusive Economic Zone’, and the waters of British allies.

Britain’s naval capacity has been under scrutiny in recent weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the British response to war in Iran, describing Britain’s aircraft carriers as “toys.”

Healey referenced that criticism in his statement, saying it had not been in Britain’s national interest to deploy all its military assets in that region.

“The greatest threats are often unseen and silent. And as demands on defense rise, we must deploy our resources to best effect,” he said.

NATO allies have boosted their presence in the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea, after a series of power cable, telecom and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Most have been caused by civilian ships dragging their anchors.

(Reporting by Muvija M; Writing by Kate Holton, William James, Philippa Fletcher)

伦敦——英国国防部长约翰·希利周四表示，英国已部署军舰，以防止俄罗斯潜艇对英国水域及其周边海域的电缆和管道发动袭击。今年早些时候，俄罗斯潜艇曾在英国水域及其周边海域停留了一个多月。

英国指责俄罗斯利用中东局势的混乱局面，试图在北海高纬度海域进行秘密行动。北海高纬度海域是重要的航运路线和海底电缆等关键基础设施的所在地。

希利表示，英国军队和包括挪威在内的盟友追踪并阻止了俄罗斯船只的恶意活动，并补充说，这些潜艇现在已经离开该区域，水下基础设施没有受到任何破坏。

希利在新闻发布会上公开了这项行动，并表示其目的是向俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京表明，该活动已被发现。

“我要对普京总统说：‘我们看到了你。我们看到了你在我们的电缆和管道上的活动，你应该知道，任何破坏它们的企图都是不能容忍的，并将导致严重的后果。’”他说道。

“我们的武装部队让他们确信无疑，他们正受到监视，他们的行动并非像普京总统计划的那样秘密进行，他们企图进行的秘密行动已被揭露。”

俄罗斯驻伦敦大使馆尚未对此事作出回应。此前，莫斯科否认了有关其参与一系列破坏欧洲国家电缆事件的指控。

希利表示，俄罗斯此次行动出动了一艘俄罗斯阿库拉级攻击型潜艇和两艘来自莫斯科深海研究总局（GUGI）的专业潜艇。

“它们的设计目的是在和平时期勘测水下基础设施，并在冲突时期破坏它，”希利说。

在发现俄罗斯船只进入国际水域后，英国派出一艘护卫舰、一艘支援油轮和一架海上巡逻机监视其动向。

挪威国防部表示，其武装部队还部署了一架 P-8 海上巡逻机和一艘护卫舰。