The U.K. and Norway on Thursday agreed to bolster cooperation to counter underwater threats amid concern that Russian spies are intent on targeting the NATO allies.
Speaking to reporters, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace claimed Russia has “a specific naval program designed to both look at and potentially sabotage or attack critical infrastructure belonging to its adversaries.”
The British defense minister also said the Russian program has a number of submarines and “spy ships” that are “specifically designed” to wreak havoc on critical infrastructure.
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace during a press conference with Norwegian Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram at Permanent Joint HQ in Northwood. (James Manning/PA Images via Getty Images)
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On Thursday, Wallace said the U.K. and Norway were responding to the threats posed by Russia by jointly increasing efforts to protect the network of critical cables and pipelines that run through the North Sea.
The defense minister said that systems critical to the functioning of Western societies like oil, gas and electric systems, are “vulnerable” and “need to be protected.”