Telecom companies have indicated that alleged sabotage actions against undersea cables organized by Russia could disrupt the internet worldwide. While claims continue that Russia has been attacking underwater cables, Europe’s largest telecom companies have called on NATO to “resist” all this. In an open letter written by the companies, the effects of the incidents were stated to be “far beyond Europe.” According to PC Mag, telecom companies called on NATO and other military leaders to do “more to protect the region’s underwater infrastructure.” Companies, including Telefónica, Vodafone, and O2’s owner Orange, highlighted the importance of taking developed and coordinated action to protect Europe’s transnational networks, including events related to undersea cables in the Baltic and North Seas, along with the increase in hybrid threats.

JOINT CALL FROM COMPANIES: INVEST IN ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES
In the companies’ joint letter, it was stated that the impact of damage to undersea cables is far beyond Europe, and potential future attacks are claimed to “affect global internet and power infrastructure, international communication, financial transactions, and critical services worldwide.” The statement also requested NATO and other military leaders to “strongly engage in information and intelligence sharing,” call for “joint monitoring and surveillance initiatives,” and urged to “invest in advanced technologies to detect and reduce damage to undersea cables.”

RUSSIA ISN’T NAMED BUT…
Although any “external force” is not explicitly mentioned in the document, Russia is claimed to be behind a series of incidents in the past year. Most recently, in November 2024, a Chinese ship was encircled by some European ships, claiming that the ship, filled with Russian goods, attempted sabotage on the fiber optic cable in the Baltic Sea. The “Yi Peng 3” ship allegedly dragged its anchor across the seabed for about 100 nautical miles. An investigation was launched into the incident, starting to inquire whether the ship’s crew was ordered to damage cables.