Russian invasion on UK waters: Sensors and Spying

Recently, the Sunday Times revealed worrying information about Russian deployment of many sensors in the waters surrounding Britain. The main intent of these devices is to monitor and spy on British submarines that are capable of carrying atomic charges. These disturbing finds have been classified from the public, but the British services are convinced that the Russian intention was to spy on 4 "Vanguard" class submarines that could carry atomic charges.

According to The Sunday Times, the military discovered suspicious devices in British waters, on the seabed, as well as spy equipment thrown to shore along the British coast. Furthermore, Russian drones operate close submarine communication cables, which are key elements of the strategical infrastructure of the United Kingdom. In the past 15 months, as many as 11 specified cables have been damaged in the Baltic Sea.

The British Ministry of Defence was to receive intelligence indicating that boats belonging to Russian oligarchs were utilized to drive submarines. This is not the first time Russia has been accused of spying on British submarines. In 2018, British landing ship HMS Albion was forced to leave the Cypriot port of Limassol, after he docked a giant yacht owned by 1 of the Russian oligarchs nearby.

Russian activities in the territorial waters of the United Kingdom are not a fresh phenomenon, but the government is presently making efforts to get financial support from companies in the technological and energy sectors in order to strengthen the protection of offshore infrastructure with the military. These are the steps essential to guarantee national safety and the protection of Britain's strategical infrastructure.

According to data from 2022, Britain spent over £40 billion on defence and security, which accounts for over 2% of its GDP. However, this is not adequate to prevent Russian action in British territorial waters. The government must now take additional steps to strengthen the protection of offshore infrastructure and prevent further Russian action.

Experts agree that the Russian invasion of British waters is simply a real threat to national security. This is not only spying on British submarines, but besides damaging submarine communication cables, which could have serious consequences for Britain's economy and society.

In this context, the government must now take immediate action to strengthen the protection of offshore infrastructure and prevent further Russian action. This requires cooperation with technology and energy companies, as well as investment in fresh technologies and safety systems. Only in this way will Britain be able to warrant its national safety and the protection of strategical infrastructure.