Telegraph: Russian trawlers recorded over British undersea cables more than 500 times

According to The Telegraph, based on data from the Global Fishing Watch platform, Russian fishing trawlers acted over critical communication cables connecting Britain with Europe and the US more than 500 times over four and a half years. The UK government published a White Paper the same day on modernising legislation to protect undersea infrastructure.

Javlon TursunovFirst published on tafs uz 23 October 2026 at 22:442 min read

The key facts

More than 500 incidents of Russian trawlers over cables in 4.5 years (Global Fishing Watch / The Telegraph)
In September, the UK, Norway and the US intercepted GUGI deep-sea vessels near Spitsbergen
On Thursday, a White Paper was published on reforming 140-year-old legislation to protect undersea infrastructure

Data on cable surveillance

Russia, according to The Telegraph, is using fishing trawlers to track and monitor the UK's critical network of undersea cables. The Global Fishing Watch platform recorded more than 500 incidents in which Russian trawlers operated over communication cables linking Britain with Europe and the US over the course of four and a half years. A NATO source told the outlet: 'We are absolutely aware of what Russian civilian fishing vessels are doing and where... Some of these vessels have never seen a single fish on their decks.'

Operation near Spitsbergen

In September, a joint operation by the UK, Norway and the US tracked and intercepted deep-sea vessels of Russia's Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI), which, according to reports, were practising the deployment of a secret 'cable weapon' near the Spitsbergen archipelago in the Arctic.

Authorities' response

Former Digital Economy Minister Liz Lloyd said in a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in May that 'the UK already has strong protections for undersea cables, but in a more unstable world we cannot stand still.' The Ministry of Defence said it was 'clearly aware' of the threat from Russia. A spokesman for the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, said that 'working with NATO allies, we are strengthening our defence capabilities and are ready to defend every inch of NATO territory.'

New legislative measures

On Thursday, the UK government published a White Paper with proposals to modernise legislation that is 140 years old, in order to give the country stronger tools to protect critical undersea infrastructure, including stricter penalties and new requirements for the telecommunications industry.

Parliamentary committee warning

The chair of the House of Commons Defence Committee, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, warned that failure to protect the 'High North' could leave the undersea cables and pipelines through which key data and energy flow to the UK unprotected. 'That is why the committee has also concluded that we need to invest in frigates, destroyers and submarines because of the increased presence of Russian intelligence vessels and submarines,' he said on LBC News.