The United States fears that Russia is developing plans to cut key Internet networks for future wars.
Several US military sources told the US newspaper “The New York Times” concern about the increasing Russian naval activity near important submarine cables
“I have a daily concern about what Russia can be doing,” said Frederick J.Roegge, commander of the submarine fleet of the US Navy in the Pacific.
Several sources are manifested in the same line. And the publication says that in private are “even more compelling.”
“They report that from the North Sea to the northwest of Asia even in waters near the coast of America-are experiencing a significant increase in Russian activity along known routes of vital cables for electronic communications worldwide. ”
But Russian submarines could really be investigating ways to cut these vital cables?
Specialized analysts in Russia are aware of the threat for some time, says Keir Giles, Associate Russia and Eurasia Program of the think tank Clatham House, the BBC journalist Chris Baraniuk researcher.
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However, he adds that cutting US web connection is probably completely impossible because of the huge number of connections that enter and leave the country.
“I doubt that anyone can think off to the US,” he says. “That would only work in areas where particular geography is a vulnerability for Internet communications.”
The case of Crimea
An example of such places is Crimea.
Telecommunications providers reported Ukrainian Internet service interruptions in cables and connecting key points during the Russian military activity in the peninsula in 2014.
This incident is mentioned in a report by Chatham House on the tactics of Russian war, to be published later this year.
“They can interfere with the internet infrastructure in order to gain control of [available] in specific regions,” says Giles, adding that while much information on naval activity in this sense is considered “highly classified” , such a strategy seems plausible.
“It makes sense, given the intense program of building submarines, including some very specialized vessels” he stresses. “It would be surprising if they wanted to.”
It is known that some countries have developed capabilities to intervene in submarine cable locations, and it is known that the US has already done this in the 70s.
Moreover, the documents of the intelligence services leaked Edward Snowden say these agencies intercepted communications, for example, UK, Cornwall, passing a point where a major transatlantic wiring.
The strength of internet
Completely sever the connection would be nothing.
Internet was designed based on the “resilience” so you do not need all points of connection to continue working.
But, having said that, there are plenty of points where internet would be more vulnerable when a cable rupture, reports the BBC journalist Chris Baraniuk.
Fiber optic cables traverse entire oceans, for example, carrying huge swathes of Internet traffic worldwide.
And some of the mentioned areas with Russian naval activity, of which military sources report, are among them.