NATO’s senior expert on cyber and hybrid threats says the persistent attacks on undersea cables across Europe is “the most active threat” to Western infrastructure. 

Acting Assistant Secretary General for Innovation Hybrid and Cyber, James Appathurai says recent attacks on the communications cables attributed by the alliance to Russia is part of a significant growth in cyber, hybrid and other interference in Europe. 

Early in November two cables were severed in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Lithuania and another between Germany and Finland immediately alarming member states and NATO concerned about sabotage. 

‘The Russians are carrying out a program they have had for decades. It’s called the Russian Undersea Research Program, which is a euphemism for a paramilitary structure, very well-funded, that is mapping out all of our cables and our energy pipelines”, says Appathurai.

‘It has so-called research ships. They have little submarines underneath. They have unmanned, uncrewed, remotely operated vehicles they have divers and explosives’, he tells Euronews’ Europe Conversation. 

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

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

Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said Nato needed to do a lot more to defend Western critical infrastructure. 

Sweden said an investigation into the cables is now underway. 

“Russia is systematically attacking European security architecture”, said a joint statement from foreign ministers of Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Spain and the U.K. 

“Moscow’s escalating hybrid activities against NATO and E.U. countries are also unprecedented in their variety and scale, creating significant security risks”, it read. 

Ninety per cent of the world’s digital communications data passes through the undersea cables. And around €10 trillion in financial transactions pass through daily. In addition to cables, critical undersea infrastructure also includes electricity connectors and pipelines supplying oil and gas.  

Appathurai says cyber-attacks, disinformation, political interference are also on the increase.  

‘They’re the baseline. And all of it higher than it used to be. What’s new is an increased Russian appetite and for a campaign of sabotage’, he says.  

‘That means arson, derailing trains, attacks on politicians’ properties, attempts to assassinate, for example, the head of Rheinmetal’, the largest German arms manufacturer which supplies Ukraine with important 155mm artillery shells. 

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US intelligence foiled the assassination plot last July which was likely a part of greater plan to target defence industry leaders supplying Ukraine.

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