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The UK has “glaring gaps” in its ability to defend the Arctic region, leaving it vulnerable to potential Russian attacks, a report by MPs has warned.<\/b><\/p>\n
The Commons Defence Committee said a shortage of Royal Navy warships and submarines was leaving the country’s critical infrastructure in the High North, including undersea cables and energy supplies, exposed.<\/p>\n
In the event of a conflict, the report added that Russia could threaten the UK’s population, civilian and military infrastructure and vital supply routes across the Atlantic from the US.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it is “clear-eyed about the threat Russia posed” and is investing heavily to protect Britain’s undersea cables.<\/p>\n
Former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously warned that Russia could attack Nato by the end of the decade.<\/p>\n
The High North – which includes the Arctic circle and areas adjacent to it – has become central to the UK’s defence concerns in recent years.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, the MoD said Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic is now back to the same levels as the Cold War era.<\/p>\n
In the new report, MPs highlighted a “shockingly low availability” of submarines and said there was a temporary loss in ability to operate them beneath Arctic ice.<\/p>\n
“Russia can then use the ice to conceal and protect its own submarines while threatening Nato sea lanes, UK critical infrastructure and the UK’s nuclear deterrent,” it added.<\/p>\n
Chair of the Defence Committee, Tan Dhesi, said: “This is a demanding, hostile environment, and one that our greatest adversary, Russia, is seeking to dominate for military advantage.”<\/p>\n
The work to address these gaps “cannot start soon enough,” he added.<\/p>\n
In light of uncertainty over US support for Nato, the report said the UK should consider whether the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force (Jef), a UK-led military coalition of northern European nations, should focus more on the High North. <\/p>\n
An MoD spokesperson said the Jef was already “strengthening Nato’s northern flank and increasing our ability to respond rapidly to emerging threats”.<\/p>\n
Conservative shadow minister for war readiness Stuart Anderson said: “If Nato could be at war with Russia as soon as 2030, as the former prime minister warned, that means time is just as important as money.<\/p>\n
“To deter war we must be ready for it, that means spending money now, not kicking the can down the road until it’s too late”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MwoQ6D.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/span>UK Ministry of Defence<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/45c7\/live\/488b8820-cdb3-11f1-bc2e-018d645d8d21.jpg.webp)
<\/picture><\/span>UK Ministry of Defence<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n