Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 9, 2026
Excerpt:
The Kremlin is deploying Russian military vessels to escort Russian sanctions-evading tankers through the English Channel. The Telegraph reported on April 8 that Russian Black Sea fleet frigate Admiral Grigorovich escorted the UK-sanctioned Universal and Enigma oil tankers through the English Channel heading west toward Plymouth.
The Telegraph reported that the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary Tideforce sailed behind the Russian vessels but did not intervene despite UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s prior authorization on March 25 to interdict UK-sanctioned vessels transiting through UK waters.
Data from the Starboard Maritime Intelligence ship-tracking platform indicates that the Universal is sailing under a Russian flag and left the Port of Vysotsk, Leningrad Oblast, on January 18, 2026, and that the Enigma is sailing under a Cameroonian flag and left the Port of Primorsk, Leningrad Oblast, on March 29, 2026. Telegraph also identified two other sanctioned Russian tankers, Desert Kite sailing under the Gambian flag and Kousai under Sierra Leone’s flag, that entered the English Channel on the evening of April 7 and sailed east.
Kremlin officials have previously threatened the use of military force to aid Russian sanction-evading ships. European states have been increasingly seizing Russian shadow fleet tankers in recent months, but the UK has yet to seize any tankers traveling near UK waters.
Russian forces continue to conduct covert submarine operations near British undersea fiber-optic cables and pipelines in the North Atlantic Ocean. UK Defense Secretary John Healey reported on April 9 that Russian forces recently deployed an Akula-class attack submarine and two specialized reconnaissance submarines of the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI) to the North Atlantic Ocean in and around waters within the UK exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Healey stated that Russian forces likely used the Akula-class submarine to divert Royal Navy vessels’ attention from the 2 GUGI• spy submarines that ”spent time over” UK critical infrastructure. Healey stated that there is no evidence of any damage to UK undersea fiber-optic cables or pipelines, but that the UK would not tolerate any attempts to damage such infrastructure.
Healey reported that Royal Navy vessels tracked the submarines during a month-long operation until the submarines departed from the waters within the UK EEZ. ISW has previously observed incidents of damage to undersea cables in the Baltic Sea against the backdrop of Russia's intensifying “Phase Zero” campaign to destabilize Europe, undermine NATO's cohesion, and set the political, informational, and psychological conditions for a potential future Russian war against NATO.
Ukrainian forces used drones to destroy a Russian-controlled bridge in occupied Kherson Oblast, possibly for the first time in combat history. A commander of a Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces regiment told the Telegraph on April 7 that Ukrainian forces conducted a previously unreported drone-led operation in early 2025 that destroyed a bridge over the Konka River in occupied Kherson Oblast.
The Telegraph noted that Ukrainian forces conducted a two-month strike campaign against the bridge, using British Malloy T-150 heavy-lift drones over the course of 30 missions that delivered 1.5 tons of explosives that significantly damaged the bridge's structure before Ukrainian forces conducted a final HIMARS strike to destroy it.
Geolocated imagery from March 21, 2025, confirms that Ukrainian forces destroyed the bridge after March 14, 2025. Ukrainian officers told the Telegraph that this mission marked the first known case of Ukrainian forces destroying a bridge using drones, which severely complicated Russian resupply efforts to river islands in occupied Kherson Oblast and decreased Russian strikes in Kherson City.
•Russian GUGI spy submarines are operated by the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI), a highly secretive branch of the Russian military that reports directly to the Defense Minister and President. These submarines are designed for deep-sea surveillance, sabotage, and reconnaissance, with capabilities to operate at depths of up to 6,000 meters, enabling them to survey or interfere with undersea critical infrastructure such as communication cables and energy pipelines - during peacetime for intelligence gathering and in conflict for potential disruption.
Recent activity and capabilities:
In April 2026, the UK and its allies, including Norway, tracked a month-long operation involving an Akula-class attack submarine used as a diversion, while two GUGI spy submarines conducted covert surveillance over undersea cables in the North Atlantic.
These vessels, supported by “mothership” vessels like the Yantar and Evgeny Gorigledzhan, deploy mini-submarines such as the nuclear-powered Losharik (AS-12) - capable of diving beyond 2,000 meters and equipped with manipulator arms for seabed operations. GUGI’s base at Olenya Bay on the Kola Peninsula serves as the launch point for these specialized missions.
1. GUGI is considered Russia’s equivalent of an underwater special forces unit (”underwater spetsnaz”).
2. Its fleet includes deep-diving nuclear mini-subs, modified research vessels, and UUVs.
3. The unit has been repeatedly linked to loitering near NATO undersea infrastructure.
4. While operating in international waters, their presence is seen as a hybrid warfare threat.
5. The UK responded with overt tracking using HMS St Albans, RAF aircraft, and Merlin helicopters to deny covert operations.
https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-april-9-2026/
