Royal Navy: UK to lead operation to stalk Russian shadow fleet after undersea cables destroyed in Baltic Sea

Vessels entering areas of interest will be assessed by the system and if a potential risk is reported, the system will monitor the vessel in real time and immediately warn Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) members and Nato allies. The reaction system, named Nordic Warden, comes after a power cable, which transmits energy from Finland to Estonia across the Baltic Sea, was reportedly damaged on Christmas Day.

Speaking to the House of Commons today (January 6), Mr Healey said: “Russian aggression is not simply confined to Ukraine, and we all saw what happened on Christmas Day. We are deeply concerned about the damage and sabotage to undersea cables. And I can confirm to the House that for the first time, the Joint Expeditionary Force, the JEF, has activated an advanced UK-led reaction system to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and to monitor the movements of the Russian shadow fleet. This will be run out of the standing joint force headquarters at Northwood.”

Labour MP for Huddersfield, Harpreet Uppal, had asked: “Following the reported damage to a major undersea cable in the Baltic over Christmas, which Finnish authorities suggest may be indeed linked to a shadow fleet vessel, what further actions is the UK taking alongside European allies to undermine the Russian shadow fleet?”

The Royal Navy has continually been trying to monitor Russian warships when they enter British territorial waters and further afield. Sailors got a call on Christmas Day to shadow a task force, with HMS Somerset keeping a watchful eye on the corvette RFS Soobrazitelny and two support vessels, MV Sparta II and MV General Skobelev, as they sailed through the Channel and North Sea. Portsmouth-based frigate HMS Iron Duke was tasked with similar operations in 2024, while also being deployed on various exercises in the Baltic with Estonia.

Specific vessels identified as being part of Russia’s shadow fleet have been registered into the system so they can be closely monitored when approaching key areas, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed. Artificial intelligence will be used to assess data from a range of sources, including the Automatic Identification System (AIS) ships use to broadcast their position. There are 22 areas of interest, including parts of the English Channel, North Sea, Kattegat and Baltic Sea, being monitored.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “Growth and national security are vital to our Plan for Change, which is why this Government is working closely with our allies to protect critical national infrastructure, such as undersea cables. I am pleased we are launching this cutting-edge technology so soon after the JEF Summit to enhance European security and deliver on our Plan for Change.”

Conservative MP Nick Timothy (West Suffolk) asked Mr Healey for his assessment on the threat to British interconnectors following the Christmas Day attack. Mr Healey said the Finnish investigation into what caused the cable damage is ongoing, telling the Commons: “Many analysts conclude that it is likely that the Eagle S (vessel) was the cause. It reinforces the case for operation Nordic Warden that I have confirmed to the House earlier in the session.” He added: “It will cover a number of areas of interest, including areas where we’ve got British undersea cables.”