Thanks for the archived, very interesting article. Lots of information about the capabilities of the UK navy and also on the threat Russia poses. Here are some snippets for those who want a quick snack:
Russia is the only nation with a fleet of specialist subs for sea-bed warfare and espionage. Some surpass the capabilities of those of Britain and its Nato allies.
The investigation also found:
- Unmanned Russian vehicles have been discovered lurking next to deep-sea communications cables.
- The Ministry of Defence had credible intelligence that superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs may have been used to conduct underwater reconnaissance.
- The navy has discovered other sensors planted on the sea bed.
- The government is looking at requiring technology and energy companies to work more closely with the military and fund the protection of underwater infrastructure.
A senior serving British military figure added: “There should be no doubt, there is a war raging in the Atlantic. This is a game of cat and mouse that has continued since the ending of the Cold War, and is now heating up again. We are seeing phenomenal amounts of Russian activity.
”Whether the UK has discovered evidence of other Russian activity is top secret. “It’s a bit like the space race,” said one senior UK source. “This is a world clouded in secrecy and subterfuge, it’s very hard to get absolute clarity. But there’s enough smoke to suggest something is on fire somewhere.”