Russia's secret fleet raises alarm over undersea cable sabotage

CNN reports that Russia is creating a specialized "secret fleet" that could be used for potential sabotage operations aimed at damaging underwater cable infrastructure. The US has also detected increased Russian military activity near key underwater cables.

According to informants, the work is being carried out at the behest of the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI) of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The initiative includes fleets, submarines, and marine drones.

“We are concerned about heightened Russian naval activity worldwide and that Russia's decision calculus for damaging US and allied undersea critical infrastructure may be changing," an official told the American portal. “Russia is continuing to develop naval capabilities," he added.

The official said the US regularly monitors Russian ships patrolling areas of critical maritime infrastructure and underwater cables, often located far from Russian shores. Undersea cables constitute a crucial backbone of internet and telecommunications traffic worldwide.

Most communication and internet traffic passes through a vast network of high-speed fibre optics installed along the ocean floor. A coordinated attack could significantly disrupt private, government, and military communication using these cables and the operation of industries for which it is crucial, such as financial markets. "Undersea cables also transmit large amounts of electricity between different European countries," CNN emphasized.

The US and its allies closely monitor Russian maritime activity in the area of key underwater cables. In April last year, a NATO patrol ship commander told CNN that in recent years, he had observed an increase in Russian activity in the Baltic Sea.

Last year, a joint investigation by public broadcasters in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland showed that Russia has a fleet of suspected spy ships operating in northern European waters for potential sabotage of underwater cables and wind farms. Using data analysis, intercepted radio communications, and intelligence sources, broadcasters tracked about 50 ships operating in the area over several years, using underwater surveillance to map potential attack sites.

Taiwanese and American forces observed similar activity by the Chinese navy in waters around Taiwan. Russia's dangerous activity has not been interrupted by the ongoing war with Ukraine. The Russian leadership places great importance on GUGI, a US official told CNN, noting that despite the war in Ukraine, funding for the unit has not been halted. A US government representative told CNN that the United States would consider any sabotage of underwater infrastructure a significant escalation of Russian aggression beyond Ukraine's borders.

“Any activities that damaged seabed infrastructure including undersea cables especially during periods of heightened tensions risks misunderstandings and misperceptions that could lead to unintended escalation," a US official observed. "The US would be especially concerned about damage to our or our allies’ critical undersea infrastructure," he added.