Kathrine Frich
Britain’s dependence on hidden infrastructure beneath the sea has become a growing security worry for officials and analysts.
New warnings suggest the country’s daily life and financial system could be exposed to disruption that is hard to trace.
A fresh report argues that this is exactly the kind of vulnerability Russia could exploit.
Cables at risk
A new analysis cited by The Telegraph warns Russia could cripple Britain by cutting a small number of undersea cables carrying the vast majority of the UK’s data.
Professor James Bergeron and Charlotte Kleberg, writing for the Council on Geostrategy, argued that random incidents are unlikely to cause large-scale collapse, but that a coordinated effort could.
“Accidental damage from weather or (innocent) anchor dragging is unlikely to threaten Britain’s network significantly. A more concerted effort to cut several key data cables simultaneously would be required.”
Economic shockwaves
The UK has 45 cables connecting it to other countries, with around £1.15 trillion in financial deals flowing through each day, linking Wall Street with the City of London and other major hubs.
The report warns that widespread disruption would hit transport, public services and basic supply chains.
“Without the internet and the cloud, air and maritime transport would be disrupted, critical aspects of the National Health Service (NHS) could not function, pay would not arrive in current accounts, and supermarket shelves would be empty.”
It adds that sustained chaos could threaten national security.
Deniable sabotage
The report describes a strategy built around ambiguity.
“The essence of this strategy is implausible deniability,” it says, arguing that suspicious incidents are difficult to attribute and therefore suited to “sub-threshold tactics.”
It adds that Russia “does not see a sharp distinction between peace and war, but rather a continuity,” and may use maritime activity while its land forces are strained by Ukraine.
Former defence secretary Ben Wallace said the UK has begun to defend itself but still has “a lot more to do,” arguing the answer is greater investment in defence.
Politics and warnings
The report also questioned whether Labour would respond unless there was a major trigger, suggesting current activity may sit below the threshold for escalation.
The article notes that Keir Starmer refused to give a year for hitting the UK’s 3 percent of GDP defence spending target when challenged in Parliament.
It also references recent UK claims about Russian surveillance activity near British waters and warnings about Moscow’s deep-sea sabotage capability.
Sources: The Telegraph, Council on Geostrategy, Daily Express
