PR in the Philippines

(SeaPRwire) –   On Thursday, UK Defense Minister John Healey issued a warning of “serious consequences” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, after disclosing a weeks-long military operation designed to deter Russian interference in the North Sea.

“To President Putin I say 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 warned.

The defense minister outlined the operation, which involved a Royal Navy frigate, a Royal Air Force patrol aircraft and hundreds of service members deployed to deter three Russian submarines that were spotted near undersea cables within Britain’s exclusive economic zone.

Healey announced that one of the submarines was a nuclear-powered Akula-class vessel, while the other two were intelligence-gathering submarines from Russia’s Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research, otherwise known as GUGI. He noted that submarines from this unit are directly ordered by Putin “to conduct hybrid warfare activities against the UK” and its allied nations.

Healey revealed that at least one of those allies, Norway, took part in the deterrence operation. Norwegian Defense Minister Tore O Sandvik confirmed the collaborative effort in a statement released Thursday.

“Norway has participated in a coordinated military operation with our allies to send a clear message: covert activities in our waters will not be tolerated,” Sandvik stated.

Healey said the submarines departed UK waters after an extended period of surveillance conducted by the UK and Norway, and there is no indication that any undersea infrastructure has sustained damage.

Digital has reached out to the UK’s Defense Department to request further related information.

This Russian incursion marks the second time in under six months that the UK has detected Russian vessels near its territorial waters. Healey announced a similar military operation in November, after Russia deployed the spy ship Yantar to the North Sea in 2025.

Healey also referenced this year’s incident to explain why the UK has not sent troops to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow Persian Gulf waterway critical to global energy markets that Iran has blocked in recent weeks.

“I understand people questioning why all UK military assets and personnel have not been deployed to deal with it. But that is not in Britain’s national interest,” he said, later describing Russia as “the primary threat to the UK and to NATO.”

President Donald Trump has criticized NATO allies and the alliance itself for failing to agree to requests to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN,” he wrote in a Truth Social post published Thursday morning.

The UK, which is hosting a planning meeting focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz once the Iran War ends, initially refused to allow the US to use a British air base to launch military strikes against Iran.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer eventually granted permission for the US to launch “defensive strikes” from Royal Air Force bases, after Trump criticized him as “not Winston Churchill.”