Russian naval aggression prompts new defensive initiative with ‘beer-drinking nations’
The Guardian reports on a new UK-led maritime defence initiative joining the Netherlands and Baltic and Nordic countries in a 10-country effort to team sea drones with allied warships. Defence readiness minister Luke Pollard says Russian naval activity around the UK rose 41% in the first nine months of 2026, warns the Royal Navy faces shortfalls in ships and submarines, and plans £90m for underwater drones to monitor the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap for Russian submarines.
