Britain and NATO allies have helped stop a suspected Russian operation targeting critical undersea communications infrastructure in the Arctic, raising fresh concerns about the security of cables that carry vital data between Europe and the wider world.

The operation, revealed on Thursday, involved Russian undersea warfare specialists operating near Svalbard, where subsea fibre-optic cables provide important communications links between the Norwegian archipelago and mainland Norway.

According to the report, NATO forces detected and intercepted Russian vessels involved in an operation that appeared to be testing the ability to deploy deep-sea sabotage technology. No damage to the cables was reported.

The incident has increased concerns among Western governments about Russian hybrid warfare and threats to critical infrastructure, particularly as Europe becomes increasingly dependent on undersea networks for internet, financial and satellite-related communications.

Britain has strengthened its role in protecting European maritime infrastructure through NATO surveillance and security operations. The latest incident could intensify calls for greater monitoring of subsea cables, pipelines and other strategically important infrastructure.