UK officials announced on 29 May 2026 that the government will propose tougher fines and prison sentences for vessel owners and operators that damage subsea telecoms cables, part of a broader strategy to strengthen national security. The proposals will also introduce new security obligations for cable operators to prevent, detect and respond to security threats, and emergency powers to direct businesses to protect the infrastructure. The plans come amid rising reports of suspicious activity by Russian vessels near UK subsea cables, including a covert submarine operation exposed in April. Subsea cables carry data for £1.4 trillion of daily UK transactions and are critical to the economy and public services. A white paper detailing the measures is expected later this year.
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