LONDON (AP) — Britain and Norway conducted a weekslong military operation to deter Russian spy submarines near undersea cables in the North Atlantic, the U.K. defense chief said Thursday, accusing Moscow of using the distraction of the Iran war to ramp up malign activity against Europe.

Sixteen Cameroonians have been killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine, the BBC has confirmed after a foreign ministry source verified that a recently leaked diplomatic note circulating on social media about the deaths was authentic.