Russian reconnaissance vessels and UAVs are actively collecting data on submarine cables and pipelines in Europe
British media and analysts report that Russian reconnaissance vessels and drones are actively collecting data on underwater cables and pipelines in Europe. British Defense Minister John Healey confirmed that Russian intelligence is using the ship "Yantar" to collect information about underwater infrastructure, and that unmanned aerial vehicles are being spotted near the cables.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the Center for Countering Disinformation.
Underwater cables carry 95% of global internet traffic and up to $10 trillion in daily financial transactions. Given the war against Ukraine, analysts believe that the Kremlin sees such attacks as a way to destabilize the West and put pressure on Ukraine's allies. Such sabotage will have consequences not only for the defense sector, but also for finance, logistics, and communications.
In January, the British Parliament launched an investigation into the state and security of underwater communications. Similar risks have been identified in other regions of Europe — cases of cable damage are already being investigated in the Baltic Sea.
The Center for Countering Disinformation has previously reported on other hybrid attacks by Russia on critical infrastructure in Europe. In particular, there has been a sharp increase in the number of GPS jamming incidents in the Baltic Sea, posing a threat to civil aviation. Such operations are part of the Kremlin's systematic strategy to weaken Europe through sabotage, disinformation, and intimidation of the population in order to reduce support for Ukraine.
