Russia 'spying on UK nuclear submarines and vital fibre-optic cables deep under the ocean'

have been found in the seas around the UK amid concerns Moscow could be spying on British nuclear submarines.

The sensors around Britain are believed to have been planted by in order to obtain intelligence from the country's four Vanguard submarines, each armed with nuclear missiles that can bring annihilation to Moscow. One of the submarines is always under the sea as part of the UK's continuous deterrent against and other threats. Russia is the only country that has a fleet of specialist submarines for both sea-bed warfare and espionage, some of which are believed to have surpassed those used by NATO members. Russian despot has ordered naval operations as part of a wider conflict against its enemies.

"There should be no doubt, there is a war raging in the Atlantic," a senior serving figure told . "This is a game of cat and mouse that has continued since the ending of the Cold War, and is now heating up again. We are seeing phenomenal amounts of Russian activity."

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Russia also has a fleet of mini-submarines that can cause havoc on Britain, which can use its manipulator arms that can cut undersea cables, lay explosives or even hack fibre optic cables. During these operations they are supported by two larger submarines that give cover as they move across the globe.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson insisted talk of Russian interference was 'speculation' and told The : "National security is the foundation of this Government’s Plan for Change, which is why we are committed to enhancing the security of critical offshore infrastructure.”

"Our continuous-at-sea nuclear deterrent continues to patrol the world’s oceans undetected as it has done for 56 years. We are also stepping up our defence spending with an extra £5 billion extra for the defence budget this year, and a commitment to raise our spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP from April 2027 to keep us secure at home and strong abroad.”

The Nord Stream pipeline sabotage in 2022 laid bare the fragility of the UK's energy supply. Were Russia to severe the oil and gas pipelines with explosive devises it could represent a serious issue for the UK.

"You cut those and you've lost that energy - and in the winter during high usage, that could be serious," a senior military figure told the outlet. A second added a co-ordinated attack could result in the "failure of the national grid."

There are dozens of internet cables that connect the country to the rest of the and are only a few inches thick, meaning they could be easily cut. While their locations have been made public, private companies have laid down so many that navy sources believe there could be enough "redundancy" in order to recover.

But British officials is reportedly concerns that Russia could tap into or destroy military cables vital to its operations around the globe. One senior source told The Sunday Times: "There are cables that are not public. The Russians have the capability to cut military cables."

The reportedly said it was "beyond reasonable doubt" that Russia's remotely operated vessels are attempting to hack cables around Britain, although there is no evidence that suggests these have been successful.

Luke Pollard, Minister for the , told The Mirror: "Let us be absolutely clear: within Defence, we take this seriously and we work with colleagues across Departments to make sure that we are not only securing our infrastructure from a defence perspective, but using our trade routes to make sure that we are protecting and buying the right and using our planning system to make sure that, where there is development, it does not impinge on our national security.”