UK Targets Subsea Cable Sabotage With New Penalties & Prison Sentences To Deter Russia

The U.K. said that ship owners and operators who damage subsea internet cables would face stricter penalties and even prison sentences.

This move is important to deter hostile states, especially Russia, from damaging national infrastructure.

Subsea cables carry more than 99% of data traffic, including calls, messages and other internet services.

In April, Britain claimed that a Russian submarine was sailing near its waters to hide other specialised vessels hovering close to underwater cables.

Telecoms minister Liz Lloyd said Britain had strong military ​capabilities to protect underwater communication cables, but overhauling a century-old law would remove a legal “grey zone” ​around suspected malicious activity to increase deterrence.

She added that hostile activities by Russia have grown, and at a time like this, protecting these data cables matters more than ever for the British economy and the people’s daily lives.

She also cited it as a reason to impose tougher penalties for damage and a mechanism to address this issue quickly when such incidents occur, so that the culprits think before doing such an act.

Meanwhile, Moscow has denied these claims regarding targeting subsea cables in UK waters.

Lloyd said that sabotage by a hostile state carries a penalty of life imprisonment, but the new laws ​would cover the ​use of proxies ⁠by state actors and reckless damage.

The government will collaborate with cable operators and owners to prevent accidental damage due to fishing or ships dragging anchors, which accounts for most cable outages.

There are plans to establish a British-flagged repair vessel to improve surveillance.

The government also plans to ramp up the process of laying new cables, especially in deep waters where the impact on marine life is comparatively less, she added.