Mecklenburg-Pederson | Ritzau Scanpix | AFP via Getty Images
Cutting the wires warned of “sabotage” targeting key infrastructure in the West and possible “hybrid” warfare. More additions In the ongoing war in Ukraine
CNBC explains everything you need to know about the undersea incident — and why it’s raising global geopolitical tensions.
What happened, exactly?
Last week, two undersea cables were severed in the Baltic Sea, raising suspicions that the undersea communications system could be the latest target of sabotage against the West, as Russia retaliates over the country’s invasion of Ukraine. There are clashes with
One of the disrupted cables was C-Lion1, which connects Finland and Germany and is owned by Finnish state-owned IT firm Senia. Spanning approximately 1,200 km (730 mi), it is the only direct connection of its kind between Finland and Central Europe.
A data visualization map showing the C-Lion1 submarine cable connecting Finland and Germany.
CNBC graphic using data from Telegeography
The other damaged cable was the one connecting Lithuania and Sweden, the BCS East-West Interlink. Ariel, the company that owns it, told CNBC data traffic that used to go through it has been diverted to alternatives. Data traffic flowing through the cable is carried by Telia Lithuania.
“The cable repair vessel arrived at the location a week ago and the cable should be fixed in the next few days, weather permitting,” Arelion spokesman Martin Sjögren told CNBC via email.
Arielen could not yet comment on how the cable was damaged, adding that Swedish police were investigating the incident.
But repairing undersea cables isn’t easy, according to Andy Champagne, senior vice president and chief technology officer at Akamai Labs.
“While we’re connected with a complex physical web of fiber-optic cables on land, the topology gets more complicated once we’re submerged in the oceans,” he told CNBC. “Installing subsea cables is really complicated. And, when there’s a problem with an undersea cable, it’s an extraordinary job to repair it.”
What are submarine cables?
Subsea cables are large fiber optic cables laid on the ocean floor, carrying data such as web pages, email and video calls between continents. They are The backbone of the global Internetcarries 99% of the world’s intercontinental data traffic.
“Undersea cables are part of critical national infrastructure carrying telecommunications between nations and continents,” Martin Lee, head of EMEA at Cisco Talos, told CNBC.
“Their physical location exposes them to many natural hazards such as saltwater erosion and landslides, as well as man-made hazards, which may be accidental due to fishing activity or the malice of nature. “
Enterprises “need to understand their exposure to threats like these,” Lee said. While, for some firms a temporary slowdown in international traffic due to rerouting may not be a problem, others cannot afford the disruption.
“Businesses that rely on high-speed, instant connections, such as those requiring video conferencing or transferring large amounts of data, suffer from the consequences of widespread cable disruption,“ Lee said.
Who is to blame?
The investigation is ongoing, with authorities trying to determine the culprit. So far, no single organization or country has claimed responsibility for the attack.
On Thursday, Finnish Foreign Minister Elena Valtanen told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” that the country is “in close contact with China.”
Many EU countries have authorities. Tracking the Chinese ship. On Wednesday, a Wall Street Journal report said investigators suspect the ship’s crew intentionally cut the cables by dragging the anchor along the Baltic seabed.
CNBC was unable to independently verify the report. The Chinese embassy in London was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.
Valtonen said the incident highlights how EU countries “need to focus much more on overall connectivity flexibility, which is very important in terms of data.” [and] Energy Infrastructure.”
“If this was a deliberate attack, it would have ramifications for foreign education policy as well,” he added.
Germany, without naming any specific potential suspects, said it believed the cable cutting was an act of “sabotage” and possible “hybrid” warfare.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Finland and Germany said the incident “immediately raises suspicions of intentional harm” and added that a “thorough investigation” was underway.
“Our European security is threatened not only by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, but also by hybrid warfare by malicious actors. Protecting our shared critical infrastructure is vital to our security and the resilience of our societies.” “, he added.