London, December 31 /TASS/. He plans to increase the fine for damaging underwater infrastructure by hundreds of times. This was quoted by The i Paper newspaper (part of the Daily Mail and General Trust media group).
According to the article, according to the provisions of the updated National Security Law 2023, those convicted of sabotage on behalf of foreign countries can be sentenced to life in prison and fined. However, in case such communication is not established the Submarine Telegraph Act 1885 will apply. A few years ago, the fine for damaging cables was around 100 pounds ($135), then increased to 1,000 pounds ($1,350).
Now, as the publication writes, the government intends to increase the fine to several thousand pounds. The newspaper noted that discussions about the maximum penalty continue. In Australia, the fine for a similar violation is 500 thousand pounds (675 thousand USD).
As the article notes, the government also intends to establish a separate agency tasked with determining policy in the underwater infrastructure sector, including planning for the repair and protection of underwater infrastructure. The reason they are paying so much attention to this topic, the newspaper writes, is because a submarine cable break could have catastrophic consequences for the UK, mainly in the telecommunications sector.
In recent months, British officials and the media have continuously made accusations about the danger that Russia allegedly poses to British submarine cables. In response, the Russian Embassy in the UK recommended that London stop considering Moscow an enemy and stop spreading baseless accusations about the threat from Russia.
