NATO forces tracked Russian vessels in Arctic waters as they conducted what Western officials described as training for attacks on undersea cables using a covert sabotage weapon deployed from submarines, Reuters reported.
The encounter took place near the remote Svalbard archipelago, according to officials cited by Reuters. British and Norwegian authorities subsequently raised the issue with Moscow, signaling that they were aware of the suspected technology and Russian activities in the region.
The officials did not disclose details about how the alleged sabotage system works.
Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik said the joint operation was intended to send Moscow a clear warning.
“Through our joint operation, we sent a clear message to Russia that they cannot operate covertly,” Sandvik told Reuters, adding that escalating tensions in the High North was in nobody’s interest.
The British Ministry of Defence has previously warned about suspected covert activities in and around British and Norwegian waters by Russia’s Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research, known as GUGI, which has been targeted by international sanctions.
The episode comes amid growing concern among European governments over Russian activity against critical infrastructure, including undersea cables, energy networks and communications systems.
Ratcliffe’s Moscow visit reportedly included warning over sabotage
Reuters, citing two people familiar with the matter, reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s August visit to Moscow was partly intended to warn Russia against escalating sabotage operations in Europe.
The U.S. government has not publicly detailed the purpose of Ratcliffe’s trip. The CIA declined to comment, while the White House did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
The reported warning comes as European governments increasingly describe Russian covert operations as part of a broader hybrid campaign involving sabotage, cyberattacks, espionage and other forms of interference.
UK arrests suspected Russian agent over alleged drone-factory plot
The developments coincide with the arrest in Britain of Joshua Cammidge, a 31-year-old man accused of working with a suspected Russian intelligence operative in a plot targeting a drone manufacturing facility.
Prosecutors told a London court on Thursday that Cammidge allegedly provided information about four drone-production sites in his hometown of Swindon and was in contact with a suspected representative of the GRU Volunteer Corps, which British authorities describe as being controlled by Russia’s military intelligence service.
Cammidge is charged under the UK National Security Act with assisting a foreign intelligence service in activities prejudicial to national security.
He has not pleaded guilty and was remanded in custody until his next court appearance on September 25.
Poland warns of further threats to Ukrainian border crossings
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland and Ukraine had prevented a direct threat to one of their border crossings and warned that other crossings could face similar attempts.
“Last night, thanks to cooperation between our services and their Ukrainian counterparts, a direct threat to one of the border crossings was avoided,” Tusk said.
He added that he had received what he described as a detailed report from the CIA concerning possible developments over the coming months.
Poland also temporarily suspended flights at the airports in Lublin and Rzeszów on Thursday as its air force carried out what officials described as precautionary operations in response to Russian missile attacks on Ukraine.
On Wednesday, drones struck a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova in the Odesa region, killing two people.
“We expect similar actions targeting border crossings with Ukraine in other countries, including Poland,” Tusk said.
Russia did not immediately comment.
Russian strikes kill civilians and hit critical infrastructure
The latest developments came amid continued Russian attacks across Ukraine.
A Russian strike on a shopping center in Pavlohrad, central Ukraine, killed at least five people and wounded 76 others, including children. Other parts of the city were also targeted.
Pavlohrad lies along a major supply route supporting Ukrainian forces and connecting central Ukraine with the eastern front.
In Dnipro, two people were killed in a Russian strike on a sunflower-oil processing plant operated by U.S.-owned Bunge. Five others were wounded.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the attack as part of what he called Moscow’s systematic campaign against American businesses and economic interests in Ukraine.
Ukraine was the world’s largest exporter of sunflower oil before Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Russian forces have repeatedly targeted oilseed-processing facilities and vegetable-oil terminals while maintaining that their strikes are directed at military infrastructure and ports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces also struck the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions.
In the northeastern city of Sumy, officials reported that a jet-powered drone struck a shopping center, a day after a similar attack killed two people and wounded 20 others.
Russian officials, meanwhile, said Ukrainian drone attacks in the Belgorod region killed two people and wounded seven.
Ukraine’s Infrastructure Ministry also reported that two crew members of an Azerbaijani tugboat were killed and two others wounded in a Russian attack on civilian vessels in the Odesa region.
Canada expands support for Ukraine
Canada announced additional assistance to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses and replenish its drone stocks during Zelenskyy’s visit.
The package includes 350 million Canadian dollars, or about $253 million, through the Jumpstart program operated in cooperation with the United States.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also announced 450 million Canadian dollars in loan guarantees aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s energy supplies.
Ottawa is simultaneously seeking to expand its own drone-production capacity, with Canada planning for 30 percent of domestic production to be directed to Ukraine.
Amnesty accuses Russia of recruiting foreigners for Ukraine war
Amnesty International also accused Russia of illegally trafficking foreign nationals into the country to fight in Ukraine, saying some recruits were deceived into signing Russian military contracts and subsequently treated as “cannon fodder.”
The organization said its findings were based on interviews with prisoners of war from countries including Brazil, Colombia, Sri Lanka and South Africa.
The recruits were allegedly lured to Russia through fake employment offers before being pressured into military service.
“Then comes coercion. Their passports are taken away. They are forced to sign documents they do not understand,” Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard said.
“They are trained and used as cannon fodder.”
The series of developments highlights the increasingly broad security challenges facing Europe, stretching from suspected Russian activity around critical undersea infrastructure in the Arctic to alleged espionage and sabotage operations on NATO territory and attacks on Ukrainian transport, energy and civilian infrastructure.
