Russia's covert underwater operations challenge UK security
Russian sensors have been discovered in the waters around the United Kingdom, intended to spy on British submarines carrying nuclear weapons. This is part of a broader campaign by Moscow aimed at targeting the UK's critical infrastructure, reports the Times.
The devices were most likely installed by Russia to gather information on the four British Vanguard-class submarines that carry nuclear missiles. According to deterrence doctrine, one of these submarines is always at sea. Some of the sensors were found after being washed ashore, while others were located by the Royal Navy.
A three-month journalistic investigation, which involved interviews with over a dozen former defence ministers, high-ranking members of the armed forces, and military experts, revealed how Russia uses its unparalleled capabilities in conducting underwater operations to map, hack, and potentially sabotage key British infrastructure.
Underwater threats to the United Kingdom
During the investigation, it was discovered that unmanned Russian vehicles were detected near deep-sea communication cables. The Ministry of Defence received credible intelligence that superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs might have been used for underwater reconnaissance. The Navy also discovered other sensors placed on the seabed.
High-ranking military officials compare the technological battle for dominance beneath the waters to the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Currently, the United Kingdom has "woken up" to the Russian threat, but the key question remains whether it can catch up.
Although the power of conventional Russian forces significantly weakened after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, according to informants from the Royal Navy, Moscow never ceased investing in submarines patrolling the depths of the world's oceans. Russia is the only country with a specialized fleet of submarines designed for warfare and espionage on the seabed, some of which surpass the capabilities of those units of the United Kingdom and its NATO allies.
Race for control over the sea floor
The Russian underwater research program is largely overseen by the Main Directorate for Deep-Sea Research (Gugi). The most well-known ship of this unit is the spy ship Yantar, which gained notoriety last year when it appeared off the UK coast. It is equipped with unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) and two mini-submarines capable of reaching depths of 6,000 metres, allowing Yantar to find and map infrastructure, as well as cut cables using manipulator arms or tap them for information.
In November, Yantar was located in the Irish Sea near cables carrying data for Microsoft and Google. RFA Proteus was one of several ships sent to monitor it. When Yantar returned to the English Channel in January, Defence Minister John Healey authorized HMS Somerset and HMS Tyne to track it more closely, while the nuclear-powered submarine HMS Astute secretly monitored the ship from below before surfacing alongside it.
This more aggressive stance has been widely adopted in the navy. A high-ranking official stated that the situation has changed. He stated that the Navy has to play by the rules of the game, but while they previously played nicely, now they are more assertive.
However, where the continental shelf ends, the seabed plunges to depths of thousands of metres. Proteus is the only surface ship in the navy truly capable of patrolling these depths, where the most lethal threat from Gugi might lurk – its fleet of six nuclear-powered mini-submarines.
The mini-submarines can sit on the seabed and have manipulator arms capable of cutting cables, laying explosives, or placing sensors on fibre optic cables to hack them. They are supported by two larger "mother" submarines, which means they can be moved secretly to virtually any place in the world.
Russia also possesses other capabilities. Three high-ranking defence sector sources revealed that before the full invasion of Ukraine, there was credible intelligence that superyachts belonging to oligarchs might have been used for underwater reconnaissance around the United Kingdom. Several of these vessels have so-called "moon pools," which can be used for the covert deployment and retrieval of deep-sea reconnaissance and diving equipment.
Government responds
The British government has begun efforts to secure underwater infrastructure, investing in new technologies and ships such as the RFA Proteus, which was purchased and modified for £70 (CAD 128) million. This ship is equipped with advanced underwater vehicles such as SeaCat, Gavia, and Defender, which can be used to detect and neutralize threats on the seabed.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson assures that the government is taking action. "We are committed to maintaining and enhancing the security and resilience of critical undersea 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," he stated.
