Britain is on high alert, as Russia is developing weapons that could target critical energy infrastructure like undersea gas pipelines or electricity cables. Fears over such an attack have grown exponentially since September last year when a number of leaks were discovered along the 1,234 km-long Nord Stream pipelines between Russia and Germany. Experts believe that the leaks were an act of sabotage, with many critics pointing towards Russia. While the Kremlin has denied these allegations, it has led Western forces to begin adapting to new threats from undersea, amid fears that their own gas pipelines and undersea cables could be at risk.
Swedish investigators discovered traces of explosives at the leaking site near the Russian-built Nord Stream pipelines, which bypassed Ukraine and Poland by transmitting gas via the Baltic Sea.
Analyst Sidharth Kaushal of Britain’s Royal United Services Institute told VoA: “There has been a growing awareness of the vulnerability of critical national infrastructure, but the event in the Baltic Sea certainly brought the issue into sharp relief.”
Days after the suspected sabotage, Britain’s defence minister Ben Wallace confirmed that the UK will be purchasing a Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Ship (MROSS), while another will be built here.
The specialised vessel will not be available until the end of 2024, but British military forces have already deployed strategies to protect our underwater infrastructure.
Mr Wallace said in October: “Our internet and energy are highly reliant on pipelines and cables. Russia makes no secret of its ability to target such infrastructure.
“So for that reason, I can announce we’ve recently committed to two specialist ships with the capability to keep our cables and pipelines safe.”
The first of these specialised ships is due to enter service this year and is designed to act as a “mother ship,” operating remote and autonomous systems for underwater surveillance and seabed warfare.
Mr Kaushal warned this undersea infrastructure is critical as millions of kilometres of cables and pipelines carry the energy and data that power the global economy
He said: “A number of challengers to the West, Russia most notably, are developing bespoke capabilities to target precisely these vulnerabilities, things like special purpose submarines.”
Source: Express