Three Russian submarines have been detected and monitored by British forces in the North Atlantic, near critical underwater infrastructure.
A British warship and aircraft tracked for over a month three Russian submarines attempting to map the underwater infrastructure in the North Atlantic, eventually forcing them to leave the area, announced the British Defense Minister, John Healey, in a press conference at Downing Street.
The operation involved a Royal Navy warship and P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, which constantly monitored the activities of Russian submarines, “tracking and discouraging any hostile activity,” notes The Guardian.
John Healey clarified that the operation did not take place in British territorial waters, but in the exclusive economic zone of the United Kingdom, extended 200 nautical miles from the coast.
The three submarines were an Akula class nuclear submarine and two deep-sea submarines belonging to the Russian Directorate for Submarine Research (GUGI), capable of both mapping and possible sabotage actions on critical infrastructure.
Direct warning to Vladimir Putin: “We see you!”
The United Kingdom has issued a stern warning to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, stating that there will be “serious consequences” if the subversive operations do not cease. Russia’s action took place “while many eyes were focused on the Middle East,” due to the American-Israeli attack on Iran, the British minister specified.
“I make this statement to publicly denounce Russia’s activity, and to President Putin I say: ‘We see you. We see your activity above our cables and pipelines, and you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences'”, declared John Healey, who also stated that so far there is no evidence that any cable or pipeline has been damaged, but that British forces will continue checks together with allies.