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The UK Government has instructed the Royal Navy to carry out an urgent survey of Britain’s undersea power and internet cables. The move was prompted by growing concerns that Russia may have already targeted them with mines and comes in the wake of explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September. Experts believe the Nord Stream explosions were a deliberate act of sabotage by Moscow, as part of its strategy of weaponising energy supplies.
However, the Kremlin has vigorously denied that Russia played any part in the incident, instead pointing the finger of blame at the United States.
In response to the attack, British warships were deployed to the North Sea in a bid to bolster protection of the UK’s critical infrastructure.
Both HMS Somerset, a Type 23 frigate with underwater tracking capabilities and the survey vessel HMS Enterprise were despatched to the area last week.
Ministers, though, have now ordered the Navy to search for possible remote mines on Britain’s critical pipelines and cables.
A government source told MailOnline: “Everyone is watching the Danish investigation very closely.
“Obviously there is the question of attribution – will they find the evidence to formally point the finger at Russia?
“But there is also the question of how it was done.
“Was it a direct attack? Or were mines pre-placed some time in the past and detonated remotely?
“If it is the latter then it raises questions about where else mines might have been placed.”
The source added that UK intelligence services have been aware of suspicious Russian submarine activity in British waters for many years.
They said an inspection of the country’s critical underwater infrastructure was necessary, given recent events.
Ben Wallace, the UK Defence Secretary, told the Conservative Party conference that the Nord Stream explosions had highlighted the vulnerability of the UK’s economy and infrastructure to “hybrid attacks”.
READ MORE: Russian allies are unknowingly working against them to help Ukraine
Experts now believe that maintenance robots operating within the pipeline structure may have planted the bombs during repair works.
If this theory proves to be correct, the sophisticated nature of the attack as well as the power of the blast would add weight to suspicions that a state power was behind the incident, with fingers pointed at Russia.
Russia, however, has vehemently denied its involvement, instead accusing the US and its allies of sabotage.
In his speech marking the illegal annexation of four more Ukrainian provinces, Vladimir Putin said: “The sanctions were not enough for the Anglo-Saxons: they moved on to sabotage.
“It is hard to believe but it is a fact that they organised the blasts on the Nord Stream international gas pipelines.”
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