UK Navy deters Russian submarines near critical undersea cables

Distraction operation

British aircraft and warships identified and tracked a Russian Akula attack submarine entering international waters north of the UK several weeks ago.

The Royal Navy deployed a Type 23 frigate and Merlin helicopters to monitor the attack submarine near British territorial waters.

The submarine was intended as a distraction from operations by Russian undersea naval units from Gugi operating near critical undersea infrastructure elsewhere.

The UK worked with Norway and other allies to monitor the Russian deep sea underwater research vessels.

“Our aircraft flew over 450 hours. Our frigate covered several thousand nautical miles. 500 British personnel were involved in the response,” said Healey.

“To President Putin, I say this: we see you, we see your activity over our cables and pipelines. And you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated, and will have serious consequences”.

The Gugi units and the Akula class submarine retreated back home having failed to complete their operation in secrecy, the Ministry of Defence said.

Russian spy ship Yantar gathered intelligence

The UK has seen a 30% increase in Russian vessels threatening UK waters over the last two years, according to the Ministry of Defence.

The Russian spy ship Yantar, was tracked by a warship and RAF P8 planes after it tested British defences last year.

The ship was observed in January 2025 “gathering intelligence and mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure”.

In returned to British UK waters in November, when it was tracked by a Royal Navy Frigate and RAF planes.

MPs say UK needs to do more

A cross-party group of MPs and peers warned last year that the UK has “been too timid” in defending the undersea internet cable network from potential attacks by Russia.

The UK is a global hub for internet traffic, and almost entirely reliant on subsea cables to exchange data with other countries.

It has about 62 subsea cables, roughly 50 of which are thought to be active, linking it to rest of the world. They provide resilience if some are deliberately or accidentally damaged. Additional cables run through the Channel Tunnel.

Threats increasing

Healey said that the UK’s undersea network is highly resilient but that threats were increasing.

He said that UK was investing £100 million in P8 submarine hunting aircraft and had launched the Atlantic Bastion programme, which is funding the development of anti-submarine sensing technology.

The UK has signed the Luna House agreement with Norway, to protect critical infrastructure in the North Sea, through a joint fleet of ships.