NATO warns: Russia could attack important submarine cable

Russia could sabotage submarine cables to punish Western states for supporting Ukraine, NATO Deputy Secretary General for Intelligence and Security David Cattler warned. The military alliance therefore plans to step up efforts to protect underwater infrastructure after the Nord Stream attacks.

“There are heightened concerns that Russia could target submarine cables and other critical infrastructure to disrupt life in the West and put pressure on Western countries that support Ukraine,” Cattler said.

The Russians are more active in this area than they have been in years and have also expanded their activities in the North Sea and Baltic Sea, he added.

Nord Stream as a blueprint?

The threat to submarine cables and vital pipelines has come into the public eye since the Nord Stream attacks. It is still unclear who is responsible for the explosions last autumn, the traces lead to Russia, among others.

Nord-Stream 2 was supposed to transport gas from Russia to Germany and before the Russian offensive war in Ukraine it was a major point of contention in the Western alliance. Nord Stream 1 has been operational since 2011. Given the ongoing investigation, Cattler declined to speculate on who was behind the attacks on the German-Russian pipelines.

While concerns about the safety of submarine cables are growing, Western countries are trying to turn the North Sea into a green energy source. North Sea states are planning several new wind farms, which in turn should be connected to the mainland via additional submarine cables and, if possible, open a new weak point in the Western alliance.

«Economic pivot»

Globally, 400 submarine cables carry about 95 percent of global internet traffic, with 200 of those 400 cables considered critical according to NATO.

“Together, an estimated $10 trillion worth of financial transactions are processed through these cables each day, making these cables an economic hub,” Cattler said.

He warned that opponents of NATO could see the huge strategic advantage in threatening the security of the Western internet, energy and financial systems.

“Russia is actively mapping critical infrastructure of NATO countries, both on land and on the seabed,” Cattler said, referring to an underwater reconnaissance program of the Russian Defense Ministry.

However, Russian ships with the appropriate espionage equipment, which can collect electronic or acoustic information from the seabed, are being closely monitored by NATO, the Alliance’s deputy secretary general said. These spy ships can be identified by their antennas or unusual activity.

West announces countermeasures

NATO has significantly increased the number of ships patrolling the North Sea and Baltic Sea after the Nord Stream explosion. In addition, the Critical Underwater Infrastructure Protection Alliance has created a new division to enhance collaboration with industry, allies and experts.

“The threat is real and NATO is stepping up its measures,” German Lieutenant General Hans-Werner Wiermann, who has been in charge of the new department since February, told Reuters.

The final statement of the G7 meeting of digital ministers also aimed to improve the security of submarine cables. It said they wanted to deepen cooperation within the G7 group itself and with like-minded partners. (Reuters, dpa, t-online, lec)