Carmichael raises past Russian vessel incursions around Northern Isles in Yantar statement

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has today called for the Defence Secretary to meet with energy companies and other departments to prevent the Northern Isles becoming a “soft target” to Russian escalation of activity in the North Sea.

Speaking in Parliament this afternoon during a government statement on the activities of Russian spy vessel Yantar, Mr Carmichael noted the past concerns raised by the Nikolay Chiker moving near key infrastructure in the waters around Shetland in spring 2023, and noted that the risk to island communities was “particularly acute” should undersea infrastructure be damaged or sabotaged.

Speaking in the House, Mr Carmichael said:

“The activities of the Yantar may be an escalation but this is not the first instance of activity of this sort. It’s almost two years now since I first raised concerns about the activities of Russian vessels in the waters around Shetland. Events in Finland at Christmas show that Russia is prepared to go further and we must also show that we are determined to meet any challenge of that sort.

“This is a strategic threat for the United Kingdom as a whole, but it is particularly acute for our island communities that rely on cables for digital and energy connectivity, quite apart from the pipelines serving the oil and gas industry.

“So will he speak to the energy companies, and to his colleagues in the Department for Energy Security, and ensure that our island communities are not left as the soft target for the next escalation in this business?”

Responding for the government, the Defence Secretary John Healey MP said:

“He is certainly right; this is not the first instance, and indeed the total loss of digital connection that Shetland in his constituency suffered in 2022 demonstrated most vividly both the daily life dependence on this infrastructure, and how vulnerable this can be to damage or sabotage. 

“I give the Rt Hon Gentleman the assurance he is seeking. In the consideration and implementation of the Strategic Defence Review that is exactly the sort of challenge that we will be meeting.”

Reacting after the exchange, Mr Carmichael said:

“It is encouraging that the government sees these threats as a priority. We need to see work going on across government now to make sure that there is a comprehensive response from all hands.

“Protecting undersea infrastructure matters for the entire country but for the isles it is still-more serious. When the Strategic Defence Review reports later in the year we will rightly expect clear answers on how the government plans to defend this infrastructure going forward.”