UK tracked three Russian submarines in the North Atlantic for a month

For a month, the UK and its allies shadowed a Russian attack submarine and two spy submarines in the North Atlantic before the vessels eventually pulled back, Britain’s defence minister John Healey said.

Speaking at a press conference in Downing Street, he said that in recent weeks — even as attention was focused on the crisis in the Middle East — the UK, working alongside Norway and other allies, had responded to what he described as “increased Russian activity” in the Atlantic north of the UK.

That activity, he said, included a Russian Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarine and two specialist submarines linked to Russia’s ministry of defence deep sea research programme, known as GUGI (Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research).

Mr Healey said: “In response to the Russian submarines, I can confirm that I deployed our armed forces to track and to deter any malign activity by these vessels.

Handout composite image issued by the UK Ministry of Defence showing of surface and sub-surface GUGI-associated vessels based at Olenya Guba in Russia

“The Akula submarine subsequently retreated home, having been closely tracked throughout and we continued to monitor the two GUGI submarines in and around wider UK waters.

“Our armed forces left them in no doubt that they were being monitored, that their movements were not covert, as President Putin planned, and that their attempted secret operation had been exposed.

“Those GUGI submarines have now left UK waters and headed back north.”

He said the month-long operation had now ended.