NATO allies foil Russian subsea cable sabotage exercise near Svalbard Exclusive by Reuters

NATO allies Britain, Norway and the United States confronted Russian submarines conducting a covert exercise near Norway’s Svalbard archipelago this spring, preventing them from completing a simulated deployment of a secret weapon designed to disable critical undersea cables, two Western officials told Reuters.

The operation was carried out by Russia’s Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research, known as GUGI, using deep-sea submersibles. The exercise simulated the use of the technology in a potential conflict with NATO, although no cables were damaged and the officials declined to explain how the weapon works.

Britain and Norway disclosed in April that they had uncovered covert Russian activity in Arctic waters, but the weapon, the Svalbard location and U.S. involvement had not previously been reported. The officials said British and Norwegian representatives subsequently raised the findings with Moscow.

The incident comes amid growing Western concern that Russia could intensify sabotage operations against Europe and potentially test NATO’s Article 5 mutual-defence commitment. Two U.S. officials said some American intelligence analysts were increasingly concerned about such a scenario.

Two 1,400-km fibre-optic cables connecting Svalbard to mainland Norway run as deep as 2,700 metres and carry satellite data from the SvalSat ground station, the world’s largest and part of NASA’s Near Space Network.

Norway’s Defence Minister Tore Sandvik said, “Through our joint operation, we sent a clear message to Russia that they cannot operate covertly.” He added that any attempt to target critical infrastructure would be detected and met with consequences.

The confrontation also highlights the strategic importance of the roughly 400-mile-wide Bear Gap between Svalbard and mainland Norway, through which Russian nuclear submarines based on the Kola Peninsula would pass toward the Atlantic.

Britain deployed forces to Jan Mayen in August for a NATO exercise with Norway and the United States. Norway plans a new fibre-optic link between Svalbard, Jan Mayen and the mainland by 2028.

NATO has intensified subsea monitoring since the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline blasts. Windward data showed 13,079 vessels engaged in “drifting” near North Sea infrastructure last year, up 52%. Windward CEO Ami Daniel said, “The current thinking is that Russia and China are probably the most active and critical underwater threats.”

Tamilla Hasanova