Royal Navy monitors Russian 'spy ship' near UK after fears of threats to internet cables

The Royal Navy is monitoring a Russian 'spy ship' after recent fears of threats to Vladimir Putin's internet cables. Navy says it is 'constantly observing' critical infrastructure in UK waters

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Ben Wallace discusses the incident with a Russian plane over the Black Sea

Fears that Vladimir Putin is about to launch an attack on major undersea internet cables have increased after a Russian 'spy ship' was spotted and tracked by the Royal Navy.

The Akademik Boris Petrov was spotted off the coast of the Shetland Islands after the islands suffered a phone and internet blackout earlier this week.

The cut threads on the bottom of the sea are said to have been accidentally caused by a fishing trawler. But ongoing tensions have raised fears the outage was caused by Russian sabotage.

In a statement, a Ministry of Defense spokesperson said: "We are constantly observing our areas of responsibility and interest in the UK. This includes the protection of critical infrastructure such as submarine cables ."

The Ministry of Defense said: "We are constantly watching our areas of responsibility and interest in the UK" (

Picture:

Getty Images)

The ship's crew should sail through the islands.

Russian information warfare expert Keir Giles told Politico, "It's been a target in conflicts for over a decade now.

"If there isn't careful attention to securing these vital assets, Western countries have only themselves to blame."

Russia is outraged by the UK's support for Ukraine after its neighbor's brutal invasion in February. Putin's recent threats have only heightened tensions, with talks about the use of nuclear weapons.