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Russian plot to sabotage undersea cables with 'secret weapon' foiled by NATO — clandestine op uncovers training exercise simulating deployment against infrastructure in Norway
A new report claims that NATO allies have foiled a Russian training exercise simulating the deployment of a secret weapon against undersea cables in Norway. According to Reuters, Russian subs were caught training "to unleash a secret weapon designed to disable critical undersea cables without leaving any fingerprints," in waters near Norway's Svalbard archipelago this spring.
The mission to uncover the plot was purportedly a joint naval exercise between Britain, Norway, and the U.S. While the mission itself was previously public knowledge, Reuters says the revelation of a new weapon in the field, the location, and U.S. involvement are all previously unknown details.
As the report notes, Norway has two 1,400km cables connecting Svalbard to the mainland, sitting at a depth of nearly 3km. The cables are the world's largest, relaying satellite data.
The report indicates the foiled exercise was indeed a training mission, and that no cables were actually damaged. "The exercise focused on simulating the deployment of the technology in the event of a conflict with NATO," the report claimed. An X post by the U.S. Helsinki Commission framed the report differently, claiming "Russia’s shadow war against NATO includes efforts to disable subsea cables vital for global communication. This spring, the United States, the UK, and Norway foiled an attempt to sabotage subsea cables off the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic."
Russia’s shadow war against NATO includes efforts to disable subsea cables vital for global communication. This spring, the United States, the UK, and Norway foiled an attempt to sabotage subsea cables off the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic. (1/2) https://t.co/rnnvIPTmSUSeptember 10, 2026
The report didn't provide any further details about the "secret weapon" Russia was said to be using, only that it was designed to disable cables "without leaving any fingerprints." The report further states the op as a whole was carried out by Russia's GUGI undersea warfare directorate.
Many territories, notably island nations, rely heavily or even exclusively on cables for their connectivity to the outside world, powering every industry including banking, defence, e-commerce, retail, and beyond.
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Stephen is Tom's Hardware's News Editor with almost a decade of industry experience covering technology, having worked at TechRadar, iMore, and even Apple over the years. He has covered the world of consumer tech from nearly every angle, including supply chain rumors, patents, and litigation, and more. When he's not at work, he loves reading about history and playing video games.
"Secret weapon" sounds a lot like it could be a giant plow on a winch to a underwater motor a couple klicks away. "No fingerprints" doesn't mean no evidence, it just means nothing that could clearly tie it to a malicious operation. Many ship anchors have cut these cables. All you need is to plant certain machinery, winch the plow back, then potentially float or drone itself away to a pick-up point.
"Secret weapon" sounds a lot like it could be a giant plow on a winch to a underwater motor a couple klicks away. "No fingerprints" doesn't mean no evidence, it just means nothing that could clearly tie it to a malicious operation. Many ship anchors have cut these cables. All you need is to plant certain machinery, winch the plow back, then potentially float or drone itself away to a pick-up point.
This article concern a political argument, and is merely a NATO propaganda. Tom's Hardware should stop with this political engagement and return to be a technical, news and review site.
