Lower Sea infrastructure: Europe's unexpected vulnerability

Lower Sea infrastructure: Europe's unexpected vulnerability

On Sunday, a submarine cable that transmits data between Sweden and Latvia was damaged, presumably due to a external influence said Latvia. This is only the latest incident in a number of events since the end of 2022, which led to damage to the infrastructure of Europe that runs through the reason for the Baltic Sea - pipes that transport natural gas, and cables that transmit electricity and data.

frequency and suspicion of sabotage

such incidents have increased in recent years, which raises suspicion that they are the result of sabotage. This has led to a flood of investigations by European civil servants, with some openly showing Moscow.

effects on the infrastructure

political tensions and the role of Russia

If Russia is actually responsible for some of the incidents, the Moscow is gone to show its power to disturb the European infrastructure, said Sophia Besch , Senior Fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. It is about intimidation, the undermining of the perseverance and the creation of a general feeling of fear and instability among the population, and to demonstrate that they can act, added them in a conversation with CNN.

NATO and military presence

Last week, the Russian embassy in London expressed that NATO- a defense alliance between North American and European countries- used the "fictional pretext of the 'Russian threat'" to strengthen its naval and air forces in the Baltic States. This explanation followed on a NATO A new mission to protect critical infrastructures in the Ostsee of which alliance has used underwater drones.

A look at the incidents

The first major incident occurred at the end of 2022, months after the Russian attack on Ukraine. A series of explosions shook the north stream 1 gas pipeline, which Russian gas delivers to Europe, and Nord Stream 2. At that time, both pipelines did not transport gas, but kept the fuel under pressure.

The consequences of the incidents

Investigators found Information on the locations, which the Swedish public prosecutors The end led that the explosions were caused by an act of sabotage. Last August, the German authorities

the possibility of deliberate damage

Whoever is behind the explosions remains unclear. Besch from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace called her a "wake -up call" for Europe and noticed that the Europeans have been investing in their maritime security since then. The second incident occurred in October 2023, as a natural gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, the Balticconnector , began to lick.

The challenges of attribution

The assignment of guilt for every incident is difficult and diplomatic delicate. In September, two US officials reported that the United States Military activity found around important submarine cables. But tangible evidence that burden Moscow are difficult to obtain.

consequences for daily life

The damage to the infrastructure could have far -reaching consequences. Besch, at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, points out that Europe's cable infrastructure has high "redundancy" levels, which means that if a cable is out, the transported data can be redirected via another. Nevertheless, some islands near Scotland and Norway are more susceptible. "There is only one or two cables there - if you cut them, you have a problem," she said.

protection of the infrastructure

repairs on submarine cables can be cost -intensive and take months. Even small failures can affect online trading and house deliveries and tens of thousands of people deny access to their favorite programs and films. "The protection of our infrastructure is a top priority," said NATO general secretary Mark Rutte . This is "decisive" for both energy supply - be it through power cables or pipelines - as well as for internet traffic.