Three Russian submarines were detected near British waters, the UK Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, announced on Thursday (9 April). Speaking at a press briefing in Downing Street, he said an attack submarine and two specialist vessels were being monitored by the Ministry of Defence.
The activity took place over more than a month earlier this year, according to the Ministry of Defence.
Healey’s department said it deployed a warship and aircraft to monitor the vessels. The UK worked with Norway and other allies to identify and track the Russian undersea units from GUGI (Russia’s Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research). Healey said the operation involved an Akula-class attack submarine alongside two specialist vessels operated by GUGI, which are designed to survey underwater infrastructure in peacetime and potentially sabotage it during conflict.
The Royal Navy deployed the Type 23 frigate HMS St Albans, RFA Tidespring and Merlin helicopters, alongside an RAF P-8 aircraft. The RAF and Royal Navy also used sonobuoys to track and monitor the vessels.
Healey confirmed the foreign submarines have "have now left UK waters and headed back north."
Healey said he believed no damage had occurred to critical UK underwater data cables or energy pipelines. "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 in the statement, directly addressing Russian President Vladimir Putin. Around 60 cables connect the UK to international networks, including banking, intelligence and other data systems. Russia’s embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Moscow has previously denied involvement in incidents involving damaged European infrastructure.
He confirmed the submarines were not near UK land: "These were our wider waters in and out and around our exclusive economic zone, to be clear, not our close-by shore territorial waters."
In a statement on the UK government website, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said "we will not shy away from taking action and exposing Russia’s destabilising activity that seeks to test our resolve."
The threat to underwater infrastructure has existed for some time. Cables in northern European waters linking Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Norway and Scotland’s Shetland Islands have previously been severed. In January 2025, the UK was monitoring another Russian vessel mapping cable locations. NATO allies have increased their presence in the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, following a series of incidents involving damaged cables and pipelines.
The Ministry of Defence has announced an additional £100 million to support submarine-hunting aircraft, as part of a wider £270 billion defence investment through to 2029.
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President Donald Trump said on Sunday Iran could telephone if it wants to negotiate an end to their two-month war. Tehran said the U.S. should remove obstacles to a deal, including its blockade of Iran's ports. Meanwhile Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives in St Petersburg for talks.
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The death toll from a train collision near Indonesia’s capital Jakarta rose to 14 women on Tuesday (28 April), with 84 people injured, after rescuers completed efforts to free passengers trapped in the wreckage, the state rail operator said.
Mexican special forces arrested Audias Flores, known as “El Jardinero”, a senior commander of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), during an operation in the western state of Nayarit, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said on Monday (27 April).
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Reversing a decade of restrictions, New South Wales has opened new areas for gas exploration in its remote west. The move reflects growing concern over future energy supply across Australia’s east coast.
Travel demand across China is expected to remain robust during the upcoming five-day Labour Day holiday starting 1 May.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 29th of April, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Mali’s military leader, Assimi Goita, has said the situation is “under control” in his first public remarks since a wave of coordinated attacks shook the country last weekend.
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