MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/. The British government’s decision to invest £90 million ($121 million) in a defense system against the Russian submarine threat will not help the Royal Navy due to the high-tech capabilities of Russia’s latest submarines, military expert and retired Captain 1st Rank (Reserve) Vasily Dandykin said in an interview with TASS.

On November 10, UK Minister of State at the Ministry of Defense Luke Pollard said that the United Kingdom would invest £90 million ($121 million) in developing an underwater surveillance system to counter the threat that, according to London, Russia poses to underwater infrastructure in the North Atlantic.

"I think that the amount mentioned is practically 'nothing' – just a drop in the bucket. In our submarines, particularly the Project 955 Borei class strategic missile submarines, everything was designed to counter various detection methods. For every action, there is a counteraction," Dandykin said.

In his view, Britain’s statements about efforts to counter the Russian Navy are merely attempts to act like a "great maritime empire." "Their fleet is already dilapidated. Everything needs to be modernized, and that requires enormous funds. In fact, their naval forces aren’t even the strongest in Europe; they lag far behind France, for example," he noted.

Earlier, the Russian Embassy in London rejected claims by British officials that Russian submarines pose a threat to undersea cables in the Atlantic Ocean. Russian diplomats pointed out that Western countries are actually responsible for a real attack on undersea infrastructure--the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline. As the diplomatic mission emphasized, "this score has not yet been settled."

In late August, Britain’s First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff General Gwyn Jenkins praised the strength of the Russian submarine fleet and its associated research programs. At that time, he stated that Russia could, if it wished, inflict serious damage on Britain’s critical undersea infrastructure.