NATO stops Russian test of a weapon against undersea cables in the Arctic

Last spring, NATO allies intercepted Russian submarines carrying out a secret exercise near the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. Two Western officials reported this to Reuters. The submarines were testing a weapon designed to disable strategic undersea cables without leaving any trace.

The Russian operation was carried out by Moscow's GUGI deep-sea warfare directorate, which used deep-sea submersibles. A joint action by the United Kingdom, Norway and the United States tracked down and confronted the Russian submarines at sea. The exercise was interrupted and the Russian vessels left the area.

The United Kingdom and Norway had already disclosed in April the discovery of a secret Russian operation in the Arctic. However, the new weapon, the exact location of the events and the involvement of the United States had not been made public.

Fears of a test of Article 5

Some Western intelligence officials fear that the Kremlin is stepping up sabotage operations in Europe in preparation for a possible conflict with NATO. US intelligence analysts believe Russia may want to test the alliance's mutual defence pact, Article 5, and that destroying undersea cables could be part of such a plan.

Undersea cables, no thicker than a garden hose, are essential for global internet connectivity and financial transactions. Off Svalbard run two 1,400-kilometre fibre-optic cables connecting the archipelago to mainland Norway at a depth of 2,700 metres. They carry data from the SvalSat satellite ground station, the largest in the world and part of NASA's network.

The Russian Ministry of Defence did not respond to requests for comment, and the Kremlin consistently denies carrying out sabotage operations against NATO countries. Western officials report an increase in Russian attacks in Europe in recent months, as the front line in Ukraine has become static. Poland, Lithuania and Romania have confirmed several violations of their airspace or territory. In August, an attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle airport led Germany to close a Russian consulate in Bonn and a cultural centre in Berlin.

After the confrontation at sea, British and Norwegian officials presented their findings to Moscow, hoping to deter Russia from using the new technology in an actual conflict. No cable was damaged during the exercise.

Norwegian Defence Minister Tore Sandvik commented on the operation: "Through our joint operation we sent a clear message to Russia that it cannot operate covertly." He added: "We have made it unequivocally clear to the Russian authorities that any attempt to target our critical infrastructure will be detected and will have consequences."

NATO has stepped up its focus on undersea infrastructure since the destruction, in 2022, of three of the four Nord Stream pipelines. In the Baltic Sea, between 2023 and the end of last year, at least eleven undersea cables were damaged or cut.