The UK will lead an operation to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and monitor the Russian shadow fleet, Defence Secretary John Healey told the Commons.
Vessels entering areas of interest will be assessed by the system and if a potential risk is reported, the system will monitor the vessel in real time and immediately warn Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) members and Nato allies.
The reaction system, named Nordic Warden, comes after a power cable, which transmits energy from Finland to Estonia across the Baltic Sea, was reportedly damaged on Christmas Day.
On Monday, Mr Healey said: “Russian aggression is not simply confined to Ukraine, and we all saw what happened on Christmas Day. We are deeply concerned about the damage and sabotage to undersea cables.
“And I can confirm to the House that for the first time, the Joint Expeditionary Force, the JEF, has activated an advanced UK-led reaction system to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and to monitor the movements of the Russian shadow fleet.
“This will be run out of the standing joint force headquarters at Northwood.”
Labour MP for Huddersfield, Harpreet Uppal, had asked: “Following the reported damage to a major undersea cable in the Baltic over Christmas, which Finnish authorities suggest may be indeed linked to a shadow fleet vessel, what further actions is the UK taking alongside European allies to undermine the Russian shadow fleet?”
Specific vessels identified as being part of Russia’s shadow fleet have been registered into the system so they can be closely monitored when approaching key areas, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
Artificial intelligence will be used to assess data from a range of sources, including the Automatic Identification System (AIS) ships use to broadcast their position.
There are 22 areas of interest, including parts of the English Channel, North Sea, Kattegat and Baltic Sea, being monitored.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “Growth and national security are vital to our Plan for Change, which is why this Government is working closely with our allies to protect critical national infrastructure, such as undersea cables.
“I am pleased we are launching this cutting-edge technology so soon after the JEF Summit to enhance European security and deliver on our Plan for Change.”