Russia steps up attacks on submarine cables in Europe, NATO says

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Russia is carrying out persistent attacks on undersea cables across Europe with a “paramilitary” style organization that poses “the most active threat” to Western infrastructure, NATO’s top expert on on cyber threats and hybrid threats, in the Euronews show Europe Conversation.

James Appathurai, assistant secretary general for innovation, hybrid and cyber threats, said recent attacks on communications cables, attributed by the alliance to Russia, are part of a significant rise cyber, hybrid and other interference in Europe.

At the beginning of November, two cables were cut in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Lithuania and another between Germany and Finland, which immediately alarmed member states and NATO who feared acts of sabotage.

“The Russians have been implementing a program for decades. This is the Russian Underwater Research Program, which is actually a very well-funded paramilitary structure that locates all of our cables and energy pipelines,” Mr. Appathurai said.

“It has so-called research vessels. They have small submarines. They have unmanned, unmanned and remotely controlled vehicles, they have divers and explosives,” he told Euronews’ Europe Conversation.

In Germany and Finland, governments were quick to blame potential saboteurs for the apparent attacks on the cables.

“No one believes the cables were damaged accidentally. I also can’t believe that the ships’ anchors caused this damage by accident,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorious said.

Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said NATO must do much more to defend Western critical infrastructure.

Sweden said an investigation into the cables was underway.

“Russia is systematically attacking the European security architecture,” the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Spain and the Kingdom jointly declared -United.

“The escalation of Moscow’s hybrid activities against NATO and EU countries is also unprecedented in its variety and scale, posing significant security risks,” the statement reads. report.

Around 90% of the world’s digital communications data travels over submarine cables. Around 10,000 billion euros of financial transactions pass through it every day. In addition to cables, critical underwater infrastructure also includes electrical connections and oil and gas supply pipelines.

According to Appathurai, cyberattacks, disinformation and political interference are also on the rise.

“These are their basic strategies. And they are all on the rise. The new thing is that Russia is relying more and more on this sabotage campaign,” he said.

“These include arson, train derailments, attacks on the properties of politicians, assassination attempts, for example, on the director of Rheinmetal,” the largest German arms manufacturer which supplies Ukraine with significant 155mm artillery shells.

U.S. intelligence foiled the assassination plot last July, which was likely part of a larger plan to target defense industry executives who supply Ukraine.