UK to lead Norway, Sweden and seven NATO allies against Russian submarines after US-backed operation ends alleged plot to damage undersea cables

The move follows growing concerns about Russian naval activity near submarine cables, pipelines and shipping routes linking Europe, North America and Africa, after US, British and Norwegian forces allegedly disrupted a suspected Russian operation.

According to the Financial TimesTen NATO members – Britain, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden – will strengthen their naval, air and land operations through the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) to monitor the movements of Russian submarines.

Member states are expected to formalize the agreement on November 10 aboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, expanding their existing military cooperation rather than forming a new alliance.

Britain’s latest move follows an operation in April 2026, when its military tracked three Russian submarines near critical undersea cables and pipelines in the North Atlantic.

The ships included an Akula-class attack submarine and two specialized submarines belonging to Russia’s Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research, known as GUGI.

British Defense Secretary John Healey said Royal Navy warships and RAF surveillance planes had monitored the submarines for more than a month, warning that the specialist ships could inspect underwater infrastructure and potentially sabotage it in the event of a conflict.

Speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Healey said: “We see you, we see your activity on our cables and our pipelines.”

A Reuters An investigation published in September found that Britain, Norway and the United States had also clashed with Russian ocean-going ships near the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard.

Two Western officials told reporters that Russian ships were testing technology designed to disable underwater communications cables without leaving identifiable evidence.

Officials say allied forces disrupted the exercise, forcing Russian ships to withdraw before the operation was completed, even though no submarine cables were damaged.

In a more recent interview with the Financial TimesBritain’s chief of defense staff, Air Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, has acknowledged that the UK needs to “catch up with its European allies” in its response to Russia.

Beyond Europe, Russian submarine activity has also reached North Africa, with Algeria hosting the ships on at least three occasions for official naval engagements in the Mediterranean Sea, with no reported links to espionage or sabotage.

However, suspicions about Russian military activities have also reached the Arctic, where melting ice is opening shipping routes along Russian and Canadian waters, even as the United States and NATO express concerns about Moscow’s military presence and China’s interests in the resource-rich region.

Speaking about the wider security threat, Britain’s chief of defense staff, Air Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, told the Financial Times: “This is the most dangerous time I have experienced in my adult life.”