Norway warns NATO lacks tools to counter Russia's underwater sabotage tests

Norwegian foreign minister Espen Barth Eide opened the Arctic security conference in Oslo by stating that Russia is actively testing its capacity to sabotage underwater infrastructure in the North Atlantic. While no actual attacks have been confirmed, Moscow is developing the capability to disrupt communications and other subsea facilities. Eide said NATO has not yet found a way to address such sub-threshold threats that do not trigger Article 5.

In response, Norway and its allies have started releasing previously secret intelligence to demonstrate that they are monitoring the situation. However, the alliance still lacks sufficient counter-measures for this domain. He characterised Norway’s policy as a “preparedness strategy,” emphasizing closer bilateral defence cooperation with the Nordic and Baltic states as well as Britain, Germany and France, while remaining firmly embedded in NATO. According to Eide, the recent NATO accession of Finland and Sweden eliminated a “white spot” on the alliance’s strategic map.