The war in Ukraine awakens old fears of the European authorities. What if the conflict escalates and Russia decides to attack the submarine cables to cut off the internet throughout Europe? This threat is seriously considered by Western armed forces.
As you know, the war in Ukraine is not only happening on the streets of Kiev or Kharkiv, but also on the web. To counter numerous cyberattacks allegedly launched by Russian-affiliated hackers, Ukraine has assembled an army of hackers to disrupt enemy infrastructure.
The country led by Volodymyr Zelensky can count on the help of the Anonymous collective, which has carried out numerous cyberattacks against Russian press organs and official sites. To put an end to its adversary’s cyberattacks, Ukrainian authorities recently demanded that Russia be cut off from the global internet.
However, this measure, envisaged by Ukraine, could very well be part of Vladimir Putin’s plans: cut internet access in Europe. This threat is taken seriously by Western armed forces, who fear cuts in transatlantic submarine cables. As Jean Luc Villemin, Director of Orange’s international networks, recalled in an interview with La Tribune, 99% of the global network runs these cables buried thousands of meters deep.
The justified fear of seeing Russia attack submarine cables
Especially since these fears are well-founded, since in 2014, Russia carried out this threat precisely by cutting cables during the annexation of Crimea, the aim being to cut internet access in this region of the country. In 2017, several Russian ships and submarines were again spotted near cables connecting the United States and Europe, raising fears for the worst for the Western internet network.
The Ukrainian authorities obviously fear that history will repeat itself. It is for this reason that the country’s Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov asked Elon Musk to set up the Starlink satellite internet network above the country. The billionaire reacted quickly since trucks full of Starlink kits have already arrived in Ukraine.
Finally, remember that Russia had announced its ambition to cut itself off from the global internet network in 2019 in favor of a sovereign network. At the time, Reporters Without Borders compared this measure to the “construction of a computer wall of China” and “of a Chinese model of censorship to facilitate surveillance […] and block all or part of internet access in Russia” in the event of cyber threats.
Source: BFM
