NATO allies foil Russian operation preparing sabotage against subsea cables

According to the sources, the operation was carried out by Russia's Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research, or GUGI, using specialized equipment to simulate the use of the technology. Reuters sources said British, Norwegian and U.S. forces tracked the Russian vessels and confronted them at sea. As a result, the Russians were unable to complete the planned exercise and left the area.

In April, Britain and Norway reported detecting secret GUGI activity in waters near their territories. At the time, however, they did not disclose information about the new technology, the specific location of the operation or U.S. involvement.

Reuters noted that undersea cables are critical to the functioning of the global internet, financial systems and data transmission. Two fiber-optic cables stretching about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) connect Svalbard with mainland Norway and run at depths of up to 2,700 meters (8,860 feet). They carry large volumes of satellite data from the SvalSat station.

During the maritime confrontation, British and Norwegian officials informed Moscow that they were aware of the new technology and its testing. Russia's Defense Ministry did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on the operation.

Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik said the joint operation by Britain, Norway and the United States was intended to demonstrate to Russia that it could not operate undetected in the region. He also stressed that any attempts to attack critical infrastructure would be detected and have consequences.

Threat of Russian provocations

On June 28, Col. Pawel Szota, head of Poland's Foreign Intelligence Agency, publicly said Russia was prepared to send "little green men" into the Baltic states. According to the Polish intelligence chief, Vladimir Putin is currently a hostage to his own failure, meaning Russia could continue its war in Ukraine for several more years while simultaneously carrying out hybrid attacks against NATO's eastern flank.

On June 29, Lithuania's Defense Ministry issued a somewhat different assessment. In comments to the media cited by Lithuanian broadcaster LRT, the ministry said there were currently no objective signs that Russia was preparing a full-scale military attack on the Baltic states.

On Aug. 6, The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. intelligence believes Putin could seek to test NATO's readiness for collective defense through cyberattacks, sabotage or a limited incursion into a NATO country sometime between this fall and 2029. According to U.S. assessments, Moscow's goal may not be to seize territory but rather to test NATO unity and the allies' willingness to invoke Article 5.