U.K. closely monitoring Russian spy ship as it passes near British Isles — ‘undersea cables are a shared concern’ says Ministry of Defense

The U.K. government is concerned about the presence of the Russian spy ship Yantar, and has been closely monitoring it since it entered British waters, reports the U.K. Defence Journal. Europe is currently on heightened alert after the suspected sabotage of undersea communications cables in the Baltic.

The U.K.’s Defence Committee highlighted the strategic importance of undersea infrastructure in its latest session, especially after the suspected sabotage of two undersea internet cables connecting Finland and Sweden to Central Europe last week. Ministry of Defence Secretary John Healey said, “Clearly, there is a recognition in recent months, not least because we have seen damage to essential undersea cables in different parts of the North Atlantic, the North Sea, and the Baltic, that this is an area the requires attention.”

While we still do not have definitive proof of who was behind the damage, many European leaders suspect that Russia is behind it. For this reason, the U.K. closely monitored the Russian spy ship Yantar when it sailed through British waters. Healey said, “We tracked them every mile of their circumvention and made sure that they knew we were watching.” According to Russia, the Yantar is an oceanic research ship operated by its Navy. However, the U.S. Navy says that it could also serve as a mothership to mini submersibles that can go as deep as 6,000 meters or 20,000 feet.

Aside from the threat of sabotage, these subs could potentially allow the Yantar access to undersea cables, giving the Russian Navy the ability to tap into the data flowing through them. Cyberattacks and infrastructure sabotage are some of the key threats that the British military is worried about, and it has agreed to work with Germany to address these concerns. Healey said, “Undersea cables are a shared concern,” and that the efforts of the two allies, plus the rest of NATO, are “crucial to addressing the risks.”

Undersea cables are crucial for a country’s communications. Aside from carrying the internet that most people use, it’s also the conduit used for international financial transactions, and any disruption could cost a country millions, if not billions, of dollars in both monetary terms and lost productivity. Aside from that these communications channels are also crucial for maintaining coordination between allied countries, especially for such a large and varied alliance as NATO.

Yantar’s presence is undoubtedly concerning, especially as it’s often seen following submarine cables in international waters. NATO intelligence has already warned of Russia’s attempts to map the global undersea fiber optic network, and it seems that this is one of the key ships tasked with this.

This kind of reconnaissance would make it faster and easier to attack undersea cables. And while one or two cut cables might not offer much disruption, a massive, coordinated attack against undersea cables could potentially cripple communications—something that nations often do before initiating an invasion to make resistance harder.