UK Norway and US Disrupted Russian GUGI Deep-Sea Operation Testing New Technology to Covertly Disable Undersea Cables Near Svalbard

In spring 2026, British, Norwegian and U.S. forces tracked and confronted Russian deep-sea vessels near Svalbard, disrupting a GUGI exercise simulating new technology to disable undersea cables without attributable damage before it was completed; no cables were damaged, according to two Western officials cited by Reuters 12. The targeted infrastructure comprises two 1,400km fiber-optic cables linking Svalbard to mainland Norway at depths up to 2,700 meters, carrying data for the SvalSat satellite ground station, the world's largest, part of NASA's Near Space Network 12. Britain and Norway had disclosed covert activity by GUGI, a directorate already sanctioned by Washington and London, in April, but Reuters said the new technology, the Svalbard location, and U.S. participation had not previously been reported 13. Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik said British and Norwegian officials also informed Moscow directly that the technology had been detected, warning "any attempt to target our critical infrastructure will be detected and met with consequences"; Russia's Defense Ministry did not respond to Reuters' request for comment 13. CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow in August partly to warn against escalating sabotage in Europe, though Reuters could not confirm the covert subsea operation was specifically addressed and the Kremlin declined to discuss the meeting 12.