Putin blocked: NATO drives Russian submarines out

The weapon is designed to disable key undersea cables without leaving a trace, Reuters reported, citing two Western officials.

According to the officials, the covert Russian operation was carried out by Moscow’s Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research (GUGI), using submarines and deep-sea vessels to simulate the deployment of the sophisticated and destructive technology.

Britain, Norway and the United States conducted a joint operation in which they tracked and confronted the Russian vessels at sea, the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. The Russian vessels were prevented from completing the exercise and eventually left the area.

Britain and Norway announced in April that they had detected a covert Russian operation in Arctic waters. However, the discovery of the new weapon, the location of the operation and U.S. involvement had not previously been disclosed.

The deep-sea incident comes as some Western intelligence officials fear that the Kremlin is stepping up sabotage operations in Europe and preparing for a confrontation with NATO.

Some U.S. intelligence analysts are increasingly concerned that Russia could test NATO’s mutual-defense pact, known as Article 5, three U.S. officials said. If that were to happen, the destruction of undersea cables could be a key part of such an operation, Western officials said.

These cables—which are no thicker than a garden hose and lie on the seabed or are buried just beneath it—are critical to global internet connectivity and financial transactions. Because of their economic and strategic importance, they have been targeted in previous conflicts as well.

Two undersea fiber-optic cables, each approximately 1,400 kilometers long, connect Svalbard with mainland Norway and lie at depths of up to 2,700 meters below the sea surface. They carry vast amounts of satellite data collected at the SvalSat ground station, the largest facility of its kind in the world, which is part of NASA’s Near Space Network.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the incident. The Kremlin has consistently denied carrying out sabotage operations in NATO countries or planning any conflict. Some Western officials say Moscow has stepped up activities targeting European countries in recent months, as the front line in Ukraine remains largely unchanged.

Countries including Poland, Lithuania and Romania have confirmed various incidents involving violations of their territory or airspace. More recently, an attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport in August triggered a series of responses from Germany, including the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn and a cultural center in Berlin.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow in August, in part to warn Russia against escalating sabotage operations in Europe, according to two people familiar with the matter. Reuters was unable to determine whether Ratcliffe raised Russia’s covert operations involving undersea infrastructure during the talks. The Kremlin declined to say what was discussed or provide further details.