Russian undersea hybrid warfare a real threat for UK, says ex-army officer

UK security is under threat from Russian attempts to target underwater infrastructure, including wind farms, pipelines and power cables, an analyst has warned.

Vital undersea cables and pipelines carrying data, power, and communication lines are exposed to Russian “undersea hybrid warfare” that could lead to disruption of the internet and phone systems on which Britain relies.

Justin Crump, a former British Army officer who runs risk intelligence company Sibylline, told i the “threat” from Russia and China is real.

“Oil and gas lines and communications cables are at risk and Russia have previously deployed vessels near UK waters in the north sea – and drones near wind farms. Energy security is likely [to be] the biggest concern, as any attack can increase the price of energy.

“Russia has optimised its forces for sub-sea operations, they have ships designed to track and potentially damage undersea infrastructure, they have deep diving sea submarines for these missions, drones and a range of these capabilities. It’s an area of real concern and attention and defence is neglected in this area.”

The warning follows numerous incidents of suspected sabotage of critical underwater infrastructure.

The Balticconnector – a natural gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia – was damaged in October 2023, leading the Finnish national bureau of investigation to claim: “There is reason to suspect an external force … caused the damage.”

Investigators involved in ongoing probes said a Russian ship and a Chinese-owned vessel were in the area at the time of the incident.

This followed sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline in September 2022, when an underwater explosion caused a leak and prevented gas from being exported from Russia to Germany. The West accused Putin of the attack, while Russia and journalist Seymour Hersh alleged Washington was behind the explosion.

Meanwhile, a Russian “spy” ship was caught surveilling wind farms off the Scottish coast in April 2023 and, months earlier, both the Netherlands and Belgian authorities investigated the presence of vessels from Russia in the North Sea. A Russian submarine was also followed by Danish defence as it sailed through European waters in August 2022.

A submarine of the Russian Northern Fleet sails through the Great Belt strait (Storebaelt) near Fyn (Funen) island, Denmark, in August 2022 (Photo: Tim Kildeborg Jensen/AFP)

Speaking to The Guardian, Vice Admiral Didier Maleterre, the deputy commander of Nato’s Allied Maritime Command (Marcom), said: “We know the Russians have developed a lot of hybrid warfare under the sea to disrupt the European economy, through cables, internet cables, pipelines.

“More than 90 per cent of [the] internet is under the sea. All our links between the US, Canada and Europe are transmitting under the sea, so there are a lot of vulnerabilities.

“That’s a very important concern because it’s a security issue for nearly 1 billion Nato-nation civilians.”

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This comes after a recent report by British think-tank Policy Exchange entitled From Space to Seabed advocated for government ministers to develop a strategy for “seabed warfare”.

The report said: “Regular sightings of suspicious Russian activity in nearby waters, mysterious cable-cutting incidents and the growing concern among our friends and allies about undersea infrastructure vulnerabilities, all signal that we have arrived in a new era of undersea warfare.”

The UK’s vast network of criss-crossing underwater cables and pipelines are largely unguarded, leaving it exposed to deliberate sabotage in what has become a growing security concern, according to Mr Crump.

He said: “When these underwater attacks happen, it’s hard to respond. It’s hard to protect from drones and submarines, while sabotage can be difficult to prove.

“The UK has underwater listening devices but their capabilities are classified. There are miles of infrastructure to protect, so they are always vulnerable. The UK can increase its security with more patrolling with vessels along lines and use drones.”

At present, 77 per cent of the UK’s gas imports came from Norway through pipelines lying under the North Sea. The Ministry of Defence has previously said the growing use of the seabed to transport energy has “increased opportunities for adversaries to threaten Western subsea critical national infrastructure”. In May 2023, a senior Nato official said Russia was “actively mapping” gas pipelines and internet cables.

In response, Nato is in the process of setting up a centre on the outskirts of London, alongside its shipping centre, dedicated to the issue.