Internet submarine cables could be the new challenge for years to come. Russia has been interested in the subject for some time.
Can Russia cut off the Internet for Europe? This is a question that has been circulating for several days in the media and social networks. Russia has been suffocated by economic sanctions for a week after its army invaded Ukraine. Vladimir Putin may decide to go on the offensive.
As our BFM-TV colleagues remind us, the global Internet is 99% connected to giant cables, optical fibers that connect from one continent to another. These connections are most often based on the ocean floor. Therefore, these cables are theoretically quite easily accessible using a submarine.
“Europe is in danger”
Cutting one of these fibers can seriously affect the internet in Europe. “Our analysis of global threats clearly shows that Europe is in danger”warns European Foreign Minister Josep Borrell on January 10th in a forum on Syndicate project. “The seabed is a new terrain of balance of power that we must master in order to be ready to act, defend ourselves and, if necessary, take the initiative or at least fight,” said Florence Parley, Minister. of the armed forces.
Fears are even greater after Russia has shown great interest in fiber optics lining the seabed, especially in Eastern Europe, and this has been for several years. Vladimir Putin’s country has repeatedly demonstrated that it has the capacity to seriously affect the global Internet. As revealed by New York Times in 2015, Russia showed great interest in submarine internet cables. At that time, the Russian fleet sailed very regularly near them, and then managed to spy on them and even cut them off. Based on this observation, there is no doubt that Russia has improved in seven years.