OMM Redaksiyası
NATO allies said Russian submarines conducted military exercises this spring in waters near the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic.
Operative Information Center-OMM, citing Reuters, reports that Western officials said a covert weapon designed to silently damage critical undersea cables was tested during the exercises.
According to the officials, the secret operation was carried out by the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI) of Russia’s Ministry of Defense. Using submarines, Russian forces simulated the deployment of advanced technologies.
The Russian vessels were detected during a joint operation involving the United Kingdom, Norway and the United States. Russian forces were not allowed to complete the exercises and the vessels subsequently left the area.
In April, the United Kingdom and Norway announced that they had detected a covert Russian operation in Arctic waters. However, details about the detection of the new weapon, the location of the operation and US involvement had not previously been disclosed.
Three US officials said some American intelligence analysts were increasingly concerned that Russia could be testing NATO’s collective-defense mechanism.
Western officials said that, in such a scenario, disabling undersea cables could become a key element of potential operations.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense has not commented on the matter.
Undersea cables carry much of the world’s internet traffic and support financial, governmental and military communications. Their vulnerability has increased concern among NATO members about the protection of critical infrastructure in the North Atlantic and Arctic regions.
