The U.K. and Norway said Thursday they foiled a covert Russian submarine operation to potentially sabotage critical undersea cables in the North Atlantic.
British Defense Minister John Healey told reporters that the military operation lasted more than a month and involved a Royal Navy frigate, aircraft and hundreds of personnel. He said the Russian vessels eventually left with no evidence of any damage to cables or pipes.
Russia has dismissed previous claims of sabotage.
Undersea cables are crucial for electricity, internet and global communications, especially for the U.K. More than 90% of the country's day-to-day internet traffic travels through such cables.