 "One of Britain’s Vanguard nuclear submarines, HMS Vigilant, at a naval base in Scotland. AFP File")
Russian sensors suspected of attempting to spy on British nuclear submarines have reportedly been discovered hidden in the waters around the UK, raising potential national security threat.
According to The Telegraph report, the British military identified the devices after several washed ashore and were located by the Royal Navy.
The situation, which has not been previously made public, but The Sunday Times reported that Moscow is seeking to gather intelligence on the UK’s four Vanguard submarines, which are armed with nuclear missiles.
At least one of these submarines is currently deployed as part of Britain’s continuous at-sea deterrent.
Moscow possesses a fleet of specialised submarines that are believed to be better equipped than those of Britain and its Nato allies for seabed warfare and espionage.
During the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Russia has intensified its surveillance and sabotage of underwater internet connections, energy pipelines, and military cables critical to the West.
In the past 15 months, at least 11 internet cables in the Baltic Sea have been damaged, partly due to ships dragging anchors across the seabed.
“You really need to keep the (engine) power on to drag, so it is a deliberate act,” The Telegraph quoted a defence insider as saying.
Nordic Warden, an AI-driven reaction system designed to monitor the movements of the Russian shadow fleet, was activated by the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force following the damage to a cable between Estonia and Finland in December.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“There should be no doubt, there is a war raging in the Atlantic. This is a game of cat and mouse that has continued since the ending of the Cold War, and is now heating up again. We are seeing phenomenal amounts of Russian activity,” The Telegraph quoted a senior serving British military figure as saying.
Russia’s spy ship Yantar drew attention when it approached UK shores last year, and its underwater research programme is primarily managed by the Main Directorate for Deep-Sea Research (Gugi).
A senior UK source compared the situation to the space race.
“This is a world clouded in secrecy and subterfuge, it’s very hard to get absolute clarity. But there’s enough smoke to suggest something is on fire somewhere,” The Telegraph quoted him as saying.
Another official emphasised the need for a more assertive approach.
“We’ve got to play by the rules of the game. But whereas before we were playing it nicely, now we’re being more muscular," the official was quoted as saying.
An MoD spokesman highlighted the commitment to securing critical offshore infrastructure.
“Alongside our Nato and Joint Expeditionary Force allies, we are strengthening our response to ensure that Russian ships and aircraft cannot operate in secrecy near the UK or near Nato territory, harnessing new technologies like AI and coordinating patrols with our allies.
“And our continuous-at-sea nuclear deterrent continues to patrol the world’s oceans undetected as it has done for 56 years,” The Telegraph quoted the spokesman as saying.
With inputs from agencies