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The mission to uncover the plot was purportedly a joint naval exercise between Britain, Norway, and the U.S. While the mission itself was previously public knowledge, Reuters says the revelation of a new weapon in the field, the location, and U.S. involvement are all previously unknown details.
As the report notes, Norway has two 1,400km cables connecting Svalbard to the mainland, sitting at a depth of nearly 3km. The cables are the world's largest, relaying satellite data.
The report indicates the foiled exercise was indeed a training mission, and that no cables were actually damaged. "The exercise focused on simulating the deployment of the technology in the event of a conflict with NATO," the report claimed. An X post by the U.S. Helsinki Commission framed the report differently, claiming "Russia’s shadow war against NATO includes efforts to disable subsea cables vital for global communication. This spring, the United States, the UK, and Norway foiled an attempt to sabotage subsea cables off the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic."
Russia’s shadow war against NATO includes efforts to disable subsea cables vital for global communication. This spring, the United States, the UK, and Norway foiled an attempt to sabotage subsea cables off the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic. (1/2) https://t.co/rnnvIPTmSU September 10, 2026
The report didn't provide any further details about the "secret weapon" Russia was said to be using, only that it was designed to disable cables "without leaving any fingerprints." The report further states the op as a whole was carried out by Russia's GUGI undersea warfare directorate.
Finland charges Russian captain and crew member of ship suspected of damaging undersea cables
Two Australian undersea cables reportedly damaged off the coast of Perth following suspicious vessel activity
Chinese ship spotted lurking over Taiwan-US undersea cables
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/russian-plot-to-sabotage-undersea-cables-with-secret-weapon-foiled-by-nato-clandestine-op-uncovers-training-exercise-simulating-deployment-against-infrastructure-in-norway#main
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