The Telegraph has published an investigation according to which Russia is using civilian fishing trawlers to map critical undersea cables linking the United Kingdom with Europe and the United States. An analysis of data covering four and a half years identified more than 500 incidents in which Russian vessels loitered above the cables or followed their routes at low speed.
Journalists at The Telegraph used data from the Global Fishing Watch platform and cross-referenced the movements of Russia’s fishing fleet with nautical charts showing the location of the cables. The analysis identified 17 vessels that spent prolonged periods at low speed in close proximity to cables marked on the charts. A NATO source confirmed to the newspaper: “We’re absolutely aware of what Russian civilian fishing ships are up to and where… Some of these ships have never seen a single fish on their deck.”
According to the analysis, one of the vessels surveyed nine different cables linking Western Europe, including Britain, with the US over a four-year period. The most sustained activity occurred north of Scotland, where Russian trawlers spent a total of 337 hours over the Atlantic Crossing 1 telecommunications cable, 322 of them in April 2023 alone. The vessel approached from the north, from the vicinity of the Faroe Islands, and abruptly changed course close to the cable, repeatedly sailing back and forth along a roughly 25 km stretch of it.
Another vessel repeatedly crossed the transatlantic Hibernia Express cable and moved slowly along the route of the Shefa-2 cable (connecting the Shetland Islands to the Faroe Islands). A naval officer who reviewed footage of the vessel noted that its hold and equipment were well suited for storing uncrewed surface vehicles or remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). A third vessel followed the route of a decommissioned cable and then slowed while crossing active lines, including Google’s Grace Hopper (United Kingdom–United States) and Amitié (United Kingdom–France/Spain).
Experts point out that travelling at very low speeds allows vessels to use sonar or deploy ROVs to map the seabed with high precision — down to millimetre accuracy.
According to The Telegraph estimates, around £65 billion of economic activity depends on the undersea communications cables between Britain and the United States. Damage to these lines could paralyse banks, hospitals, the transport network and mobile phone services. General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy, has previously warned that Russia could attack Britain’s undersea cables from “day one” of a conflict with NATO.
Against this backdrop, the British government on 22 October 2026 published a White Paper proposing tougher legislation. The current law governing undersea cables dates back to 1885 and provides relatively lenient penalties. The new measures propose prison sentences of up to 14 years (with life imprisonment also under discussion during the consultation) for intentional damage to critical undersea infrastructure, as well as unlimited fines. Telecoms Minister Ian Murray noted that Russia is using “commercial proxies” to threaten infrastructure, and that the new rules are intended to strengthen deterrence against such actions.
