LONDON (AP) — Forces from Britain and Norway conducted an extended surveillance mission targeting Russian submarines believed to be engaged in suspicious activities near critical undersea infrastructure in the North Atlantic, according to Thursday announcements from U.K. military officials.
British Defense Secretary John Healey revealed that naval vessels, aircraft, and hundreds of military personnel tracked one Russian attack submarine and two intelligence-gathering submarines operating close to underwater cables and pipelines located north of British territory. The Russian fleet ultimately departed the area following the surveillance effort that extended beyond four weeks.
“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 stated as his warning to Russian forces.
Norwegian defense ministry, foreign ministry, and military representatives had not yet provided responses to media inquiries about the operation.
U.K. leaders have worked to maintain focus on Russian activities despite global attention shifting toward Middle Eastern conflicts. Officials have highlighted connections between various international disputes, noting that Russia has provided drone components and additional support to Iran.
During a press briefing, Healey emphasized that “Putin would want us to be distracted by the Middle East,” while asserting that Russia remains the primary security challenge facing Britain and allied nations.
“We will not take our eyes off Putin,” he declared.
Earlier this year in March, British authorities announced readiness to intercept vessels believed to operate within Russia’s unofficial fleet of ships transporting oil in defiance of international penalties imposed due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. This marked an escalation from Britain’s previous role of simply assisting French and American forces in monitoring suspicious vessels.
“We are ready to take action” against these ships, Healey confirmed.
