Britain said it had exposed a covert Russian submarine operation in and around UK waters, forcing the vessels to retreat back to Russia.
Disclosing details of the joint mission with Norway and other unspecified allies, British defence secretary John Healey said British forces and allies, including Norway, tracked and deterred malign activity by the Russian vessels, adding that they had now left the area and there were no signs of damage to underwater infrastructure.
British aircraft and warships identified a Russian attack submarine entering international waters in the High North several weeks ago, and tracked its activity around the clock.
Service personnel quickly established that the submarine was deployed as a distraction, according to UK’s defence ministry, and the UK worked closely with allies including Norway to identify and monitor other Russian undersea naval units known as GUGI conducting, as the ministry claims, “nefarious activity over critical undersea infrastructure elsewhere.”
Both the GUGI units and the submarine have since left UK waters and headed back north. This operation which lasted more than a month has now concluded, the defence minister told reporters on Thursday.
Healey said he had deployed Britain’s armed forces “to track and to deter any malign activity by these vessels.”
The defence secretary said there is “no evidence that there has been any damage” to UK cables and pipelines.
“We’ve exposed those covert operations. We’ve made clear to him and his submarines that we’ve watched them every step of the way.”
The mission involving around 500 British personnel saw UK aircraft fly more than 450 hours while a navy frigate covered several thousand nautical miles, Healey said.
Addressing Russian president Vladimir Putin, Healey said: “We see you, we see your activity over our underwater infrastructure. You should know that any attempt to damage it will not be tolerated and would have serious consequences.”
Speaking about the submarines, he said that the UK spent more than a month tracking every mile of them.
He said that he is confident that there is no evidence of any damage. “We will verify with allies the state of our infrastructure,” he added.
While the eyes were on the Middle East, British armed forces were simultaneously responding – according to defence secretary – to rising Russian threats north of the UK.
The defence secretary told a Downing Street news conference that “any attempt” to damage UK cables or pipelines will not be tolerated.
According to UK’s defence ministry, the Royal navy deployed a type 23 frigate HMS St Albans, RFA Tidespring and Merlin helicopters to track the attack submarine as it operated near British territorial waters. Working alongside RAF P8 aircraft, the submarine was tracked 24/7 in an operation carried out with allies.
As part of the operation, which saw British ships cover thousands of miles, the RAF and navy deployed sonobuoys to track the Russian vessels.
In its press release, the ministry claims that while the Russian attack submarine has now headed back towards Russia, the UK has kept both naval vessels and aircraft ready to respond should Russian vessels return.
Russian embassy in UK rejects British claim of Russian submarine activity
Russia rejects John Healey’s claims that Russian submarines are posing a threat to undersea infrastructure.
“We have noted Defence Secretary John Healey’s lofty claim that the UK spent a month heroically repelling the “aggression” of an alleged Russian submarine in the North Atlantic’s neutral waters, using only a single vessel and a surveillance aircraft.
“Needless to say, it is impossible to either believe or verify this statement. That, apparently, is precisely its purpose. However, this comes against the backdrop of genuine aggression against Iran, which the UK government supports both politically and militarily,” the Russian embassy said.
Russian diplomats added: “As a country with a long history of maritime presence in the most remote corners of the world’s oceans – often without invitation and, at times, in defiance of local populations’ wishes – Britain appears peculiarly sensitive to the presence of Russian vessels in international waters.
“London has recently issued extremely aggressive statements and threats targeting merchant ships operating in the interests of Russian companies and our partners. It must be clearly understood that, if these threats are translated into action, there will be consequences. Russia does not threaten undersea infrastructure, which is of critical importance to the UK. Nor do we employ aggressive rhetoric in this regard.
“Nevertheless, it should be recalled that responsibility for the actual attack on undersea infrastructure – namely, the sabotage of Nord Stream – rests with Western countries. The score isn’t settled.”
