Russian submarines near the UK

Gustaf Thornéus, 

Jenny Martorell

Updated 14.01 | Published 12.52

          

          Image of ships associated with GUGI, both above and below the surface, based at Olenya Guba in              Russia. Photo: British Ministry of Defence.

​​Three Russian submarines have been sighted in the waters around the British Isles.

This was stated by the UK's Defence Secretary John Healey at a press conference.

- We see you, he says, addressing Putin directly.

Together with the Norwegian Defence Force, the UK has been monitoring three Russian submarines that were near critical undersea cables for a month "earlier this year".

Healey addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin directly:

- We see you. We see your activity over our cables and our pipelines, and you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences, he said, according to Reuters.

There are no signs of damage to the cables.

Healey would not give any details about when the operation took place, or exactly where the Russian submarines were targeted. They have not been in British territorial waters, he stressed, however.

The submarines have left

The British operation shows that Britain has the ability to deter Russia, the defense minister said, according to The Guardian.

– I believe that the type of operation that I have presented today shows that we have British armed forces that can detect, deter and, if necessary, act to protect Britain, says John Healey.

Norway's Defense Minister Tore O Sandvik tells VG that the operation has been completed and that the submarines have left the area.

"We have used relevant resources from the Armed Forces to clearly indicate that they cannot operate covertly in Norwegian waters. Norway works closely with the UK and other allies to secure critical underwater infrastructure, and we cooperate closely in intelligence and surveillance," he says.