Russia's secret maneuvers in the Arctic. NATO intercepted Russian submarines

In April, Britain and Norway revealed they had discovered a secret Russian operation in Arctic waters. However, there was no information about the discovery of new weapons, the location of the operation, or the involvement of the United States.

According to Reuters, in the spring near the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, NATO - with close cooperation between Great Britain, Norway and the United States - intercepted Russian submarines during secret exercises.

A secret weapon that is supposed to leave no trace

The Russians operated under the auspices of GUGA - the elite directorate of the Russian Navy dealing with deep-sea operations. They trained in the use of modern technology aimed at destroying undersea communication cables.

According to two Western officials who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, the Russians simulated the deployment of weapons that could in the future paralyze key infrastructure without leaving a trace. Thanks to the quick reaction of the allies, the Russian units were located, tracked and ultimately forced to leave the area of ​​operation.

Why are undersea cables so important?

As Reuters emphasizes, undersea cables are the backbone of global communication and finance. Even though they have a diameter no larger than a garden hose, they transmit over 95 percent. global internet data. Thanks to them, financial transactions worth billions of dollars are sent every day. Their strategic importance makes them a tasty morsel for anyone who would like to disrupt the functioning of the modern world.

In the Svalbard region, at a depth of up to 2,700 meters, there are two fiber-optic cables connecting the archipelago with Norway. These are the channels used to transmit huge amounts of data from the world's largest ground station, SvalSat, which serves, among others, NASA and global satellite networks.

Russia is testing the West

The Russian operation was not accidental, Reuters emphasizes. In recent months, due to the impasse on the Ukrainian front, the Kremlin is increasingly resorting to hybrid and sabotage activities in Europe. The authorities of Poland, Lithuania and Romania confirmed an increase in the number of incidents involving Russian services. Recently, there has been a lot of talk about an attempted drone attack on the Leipzig airport, which caused a sharp reaction from Germany and the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn.

American intelligence services are warning more and more loudly that Russia may try to test Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, i.e. the principle of mutual defense. In such a scenario, destroying undersea cables could be one of the first moves to paralyze the West.

NATO replies: We will not allow sabotage

After foiling the Russian operation, representatives of Great Britain and Norway went to Moscow to clearly communicate that the West knows Russian plans and does not intend to tolerate sabotage attempts. With the joint operation, we gave Russia a clear signal that they cannot act in secret, stressed the Norwegian Minister of Defense, Tore Sandvik. Any attempt to attack our critical infrastructure will be detected and met with consequences, he added.

The Russian authorities consistently deny that they are sabotaging NATO countries, but subsequent incidents and the growing activity of Russian units in international waters raise concern among Western analysts.

An arms race at the bottom of the sea

Since the blowing up of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022, the security of undersea infrastructure has become one of NATO's priorities. In response to the growing threat, the allies launched monitoring systems, including: Baltic Sentry and Nordic Warden – and intensified joint patrols. Statistics show that the number of ships "drift" over strategic installations has increased by several dozen percent in recent years - both in the North Sea and in the region of Southeast Asia.