Scotland's coastlines under threat as 'Russia targets' UK's sub-sea cables, warns Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard
Scotland's shores are now a harrowing new battlefield in the West's struggle with Russia, according to Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard.
He has cautioned that Vladimir Putin is likely deploying unmanned submarine fleets intended to disrupt sub-sea internet cables, potentially paralysing the UK.
Experts in military intelligence believe that communication lines cut near the coast of Shetland two years ago were most probably Russia's doing; the nation has faced allegations of conducting "spy ships" operations in the North Sea as well.
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Labour MP Luke Pollard, in discussion with the Sunday Mail, disclosed that following the conflict in Ukraine and escalating hostilities, the MoD is intensifying its investment in protections for internet cables and windfarms.
He explained: "It is certainly true that there are threats to our subsea cable networks including in the North Atlantic. If you are in a conflict with an aggressor who can attack those cables, you could sustain quite significant economic damage."
Pollard further stated: "That's the changing face of warfare that we need to think about underwater warfare with autonomous systems in particular.", reports the Sunday Mail.
The minister elaborated on the modern nature of conflict, stating: "We are not just talking about submarines with crews battling in the North Atlantic in a World War II context. You are talking about uncrewed underwater systems that can potentially put our vital national infrastructure at risk."
"This is not an abstract threat, we are very dependent on this infrastructure for our daily lives the NHS is dependent on it, the financial markets are dependent on data flowing, the list goes on."
A top military intelligence expert has informed the Sunday Mail that Russian operatives, likely masquerading as fishermen, were "almost certainly" responsible for the severed internet cables near Shetland in 2022.
Vital communication links were cut at two different locations within a short period, leading to significant disruptions including internet outages, phone issues, and cash machines going offline across the island, resulting in a substantial police response.
Initially, the disruption was attributed to a fishing mishap, but Colonel Philip Ingram MBE suggests that Putin's hand may have been involved as a strategic move against Britain. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has not dismissed the possibility of Russian sabotage in the matter.
During the incident, Russia's Boris Petrov scientific research vessel was observed nearby and has since been marked as a "vessel of interest" by Western naval forces.
While the Scottish Government has not openly accused Russia regarding the Shetland event, Norwegian authorities attributed a similar cable severance in Norway in 2022 to "human activity". Additionally, a separate occurrence in Southern France was determined to be a deliberate act.
Pollard, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, emphasised the need for enhanced capabilities, stating: "We now need to have the capability to protect and defend the cables and to deal with an aggressor who may want to chart and identify vulnerabilities for the future."
He further explained the strategic approach required: "If we are seeking to protect underwater assets, we need to look at the best way of doing that. So we need to look at autonomous protection arrangements or ways of working with our allies to secure different bits of our cable infrastructure."
Highlighting the importance of new naval assets, Pollard added: "That's one of the reasons why ships like our recently commissioned RFA Proteus vessel is so important and that type of warfare needs to develop. The UK already has good skills and expertise but we do need to do more."
The RFA Proteus, one of two new vessels acquired for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 2023, boasts advanced search capabilities and serves as a launch platform for remotely operated underwater vehicles.
Additionally, the Ministry of Defence has reportedly secured three Kongsberg HUGIN large unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) capable of operating at depths of up to 3.7 miles. The other vessel, RFA Stirling Castle, will support mine-hunting operations by acting as a mothership for autonomous mine hunters.
Last year, investigations by public broadcasters from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland accused Russia of deploying spy ships equipped with underwater surveillance gear to map out critical sites for potential sabotage acts.
One of the estimated 50 "ghost" Russian ships, known as the Admiral Vladimirsky, often sails with its tracking equipment switched off and was recently spotted near offshore wind farm sites off the Scottish coast.
The ship was seen entering the Moray Firth on November 10 and was also observed about 30 nautical miles east of Lossiemouth, home to the RAF's Maritime Patrol Aircraft fleet.
When a journalist approached the ship on a small boat, he was met by a masked man wielding a military assault rifle.
Pollard, whose father served as a submariner in the Royal Navy, commented: "There's an awful lot of high-end kit that's in Scotland at the moment and Scotland's absolutely integral to our national defence."
"You have Faslane, there is the maritime patrol aircraft up at Lossiemouth, we've got the quick reaction force, so the Typhoons basically intercept anyone coming into our airspace."
"We also have an awful lot of shipbuilding on both sides of Scotland, in terms of the Type-26s being built on the Clyde at the moment and the Type-31s being built by Babcock in Rosyth."
"The Type-26s are anti-submarine warfare frigates which will be deploying to the North Atlantic to find Russian submarines, while the Type-31s will conduct duties around the world."