NATO members frustrated a Russian operation in the Arctic designed to test a new technology capable of rendering critical submarine cables useless without leaving traces, according to information published by the Reuters news agency. The operation was detected and prevented by the alliance's allies.
According to authorities heard by Reuters, Russian submarines were caught this year conducting exercises in the vicinity of the remote Svalbard archipelago, in Norwegian waters. The clandestine operation was conducted by Russia's Main Directorate for Deep-Sea Research, known by the acronym GUGI, a unit specialized in submarine operations.
According to two of the consulted authorities, deep-water submersibles were used to simulate the use of the technology, described by them as "sophisticated and destructive." The operation aimed to test the ability to sabotage the submarine cable infrastructure that is essential for global communications.
