Ten northern European countries, led by Britain, plan to combine their naval forces to deter Russia, the Financial Times reports.
According to Richard Knighton, the UK's Chief of Air Staff, the initiative involves the establishment of a naval alliance within the framework of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). He told the Financial Times that the partnership was essential to bolstering efforts to counter Russian submarines in the North Atlantic, Arctic and Baltic Seas to ensure "they cannot target or threaten shipping".
The agreement is expected to be signed on board the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. In addition to the UK, the JEF includes the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
The participating countries aim to move beyond information sharing and consultations towards practical and integrated cooperation between their naval, air and land forces.
Knighton noted that Britain needs to "catch up" with its European allies in dealing with the Russian threat. He explained that countries closer to Russia's borders feel the consequences of the war in Ukraine - and the potential risks to their security - more keenly.
"This is the most dangerous time I can remember," Knighton said. He believes that Moscow's willingness to escalate "has clearly increased" and that the term "hybrid activity" no longer captures the full gravity of the situation.
"We are talking about targeted killings, acts of sabotage and cyber attacks. These are very real actions of the Russian state, which have evidence in Europe and to a certain extent in Britain as well," Knighton stressed.