NATO Blocked Russian Test of Technology to Sever Undersea Cables Near Svalbard

The operation involved the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research of the Russian Defense Ministry, known as GUGI, and used deep-water submersibles to simulate the deployment of the system, according to the two Western officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. U.S. military forces also took part, a detail that had not previously been reported.

Russian submarines were spotted near Svalbard, where undersea cables link the archipelago to mainland Norway. The cables were not damaged.

Britain's Defense Ministry said in April that Russian underwater vessels had been detected in the North Atlantic engaged in "malicious activity over critical underwater infrastructure." At the time, it said British forces and their NATO allies had found a Russian submarine diverting attention from two GUGI submersibles operating in the area.

The military, the British Defense Ministry said, made clear to the Russians that they had been detected, after which the submarines left that part of the North Atlantic.

Britain and Norway shared their information with Moscow to demonstrate that they were aware of the new technology. Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik told the agency that the allies had made it clear to the Russian authorities that any attempt to target critical infrastructure would be detected and would carry consequences.

Two undersea fiber-optic cables run from Svalbard to mainland Norway at depths of up to 2,700 meters, stretching 1,400 kilometers. They carry large volumes of satellite data received by SvalSat, the world's largest ground station, which is part of NASA's Near Space Network.

Reuters also recalled CIA Director John Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow. According to the agency, in a meeting with representatives of Russian intelligence services he warned against an escalation of Russian sabotage operations in Europe. Whether the question of Russian submarine operations in the Atlantic was raised is unknown.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Comment from the Russian Defense Ministry could not be obtained either. Reuters does not specify exactly what new technology for disabling undersea cables the Russian military was testing.

According to Reuters, U.S. intelligence analysts are increasingly concerned that Russia may try to test the strength of Article 5 of the NATO treaty on collective defense, and the destruction of undersea cables could be part of such an operation.