Some undersea pipelines are vital conduits for energy; submarine electricity cables allow countries to exchange power. Sabotage of this critical infrastructure is now an immediate concern
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskMr Putin’s warning was a study in chutzpah. Russia denies responsibility for the explosions. But few doubt that the Kremlin did it. It has used cuts in gas supplies, or the threat of them, to try to blackmail Europe since the early days of its invasion of Ukraine. The attacks occurred just as Russia was escalating its war, mobilising reservists, annexing territory and making nuclear threats.
Western officials say that a particular source of concern is Russia’s Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research, known by its Russian acronym, the world’s biggest submarine, commissioned in July—which can work in unusually deep water. They can deploy divers, mini-submarines or underwater drones, which could be used to cut cables. In 2019 a fire aboard the’s mini-submarines, killed 14 Russians in the Barents Sea.
Other countries are getting in on the act. In a speech on October 11th, Sir Jeremy Fleming, the head of Government Communications Headquarters, Britain’s signals-intelligence agency, said that China was seeking “to bend international flows of data around the Indo-Pacific region towards interception platforms inside China”.
That does not mean inflicting such damage is simple. Cables and pipelines could be damaged by cyber-attacks, say officials familiar with the issue. But in practice, most attackers will need to get physically close. The first step in a sabotage mission is finding the target. With big, heavy pipelines, which are typically made from concrete-lined metal sections, that is relatively easy. Older communication cables, being smaller and lighter, can shift with the currents.
And at least when it comes to connections between big countries, plenty of alternatives exist. At least 18 communication cables link America and Europe. Australia has 16 cable connections to other countries. Two dozen sprout from America’s west coast and cross the Pacific. These figures include known cables; armies and spy agencies lay others whose whereabouts are not publicised .
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