British Military Deployed to Guard Waters Against Russian Submarines

The UK deployed its armed forces earlier this year to monitor and deter Russian submarines from threatening undersea cables and pipelines, Defence Minister John Healey confirmed on Thursday.

According to Healey, British forces, alongside allies including Norway, tracked the submarines for roughly a month in UK waters, preventing any hostile activity. The minister revealed the operation publicly to signal to President Vladimir Putin that the vessels had been detected.

Healey noted that the Russian submarines have since left British waters and moved north, with no reported damage to critical underwater infrastructure.

“To President Putin: we observed your operations around our cables and pipelines. Any attempt to damage them will face serious consequences,” Healey said.

He added that the UK military made clear that the submarines were under constant observation, thwarting the secrecy of the operation as intended by Moscow.

The Russian deployment reportedly included an Akula-class attack submarine and two specialist vessels from the Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research (GUGI).