NATO Stops Russian Test of Secret Weapon Against 1,400 km Cables Under the Sea

NATO countries Britain, Norway and the United States stopped Russian ships from finishing a secret test in Arctic waters this spring. The test was near Svalbard, a group of Arctic islands. The Russian group GUGI, which does deep sea research for Russia's military, used small underwater vehicles to practise using a secret weapon. The weapon is designed to stop cables under the sea from working without leaving evidence, two Western officials said.

Britain, Norway and the US tracked the Russian ships and faced them at sea. The Russians left without finishing the test, and no cables were damaged. The officials did not explain how the weapon works, but they said the test imagined a conflict with NATO. In April, Britain said it followed three Russian submarines for almost a month, two from GUGI. Norway's defence minister, Tore Sandvik, said the operation "sent a clear message to Russia that they cannot operate covertly," meaning secretly. Russia's government denies sabotage in NATO countries.

These cables carry most of the world's internet traffic and payments between banks and companies. They are no thicker than a garden hose and lie on the seabed or just below it. Two fibre-optic cables (thin glass cables that carry data), each 1,400 km long, link Svalbard to mainland Norway. They reach depths of 2,700 metres.

NATO has focused on protecting cables and pipelines under the sea since 2022, when three of the four Nord Stream pipelines were destroyed. Western officials say destroying these cables could be part of a Russian test of Article 5, NATO's promise to defend all its members.