Russia and China planning major undersea attack? The countries under threat are...; new report reveals shocking details...

India.com

18-07-2025

The danger of cable disruption backed by Russia and China is expected to increase, as evidenced by recent events in the Baltic Sea and near Taiwan, according to a new report. Submarine cables, which carry approximately 99% of global intercontinental internet traffic, have been affected by a handful of suspicious incidents over the past year and a half. They are believed to involve suspected state support.
A report issued by U.S.-based cybersecurity firm Recorded Future found nine individual events in the Baltic Sea and along Taiwan's coast in 2024 and 2025 that could represent early signs of planned actions that are purposeful and disruptive. The report concluded that while most undersea cable disruptions are still likely incidental in nature, the pattern of events in these regions points to a rising threat of intentional interference, with Russia and China emerging as key suspects behind the activity.
'Campaigns attributed to Russia in the North Atlantic-Baltic region and China in the western Pacific are likely to increase in frequency as tensions rise,' the company was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
The report encompasses many notable incidents, such as the severing of two undersea cables between Lithuania and Sweden in the Baltic Sea in November 2024, as reported by The Guardian. Investigators determined that an anchor from a Chinese ship damaged the cables. In another case, a Russian oil tanker was detained after cutting cables between Finland and Estonia in December.
In the area of Taiwan, there were multiple incidents in the last 18 months that raised questions as well. In February, a freighter crewed by Chinese made damage to cables between Taiwan and the Penghu Islands by zigzagging repeatedly over the cables. And the month before, a Chinese cargo ship was conclusively identified as likely the cause of damage to a Taiwan–U.S. undersea cable, the report mentioned.
'While it is difficult to definitively attribute recent incidents in the Baltic Sea and around Taiwan to state-sponsored sabotage, such operations align with both Russia and China's strategic objectives, recently observed activities, and current deep-sea capabilities,' the report stated, as per The Guardian report.
Recorded Future indicated that a coordinated attack that targets multiple undersea cables—which could cause prolonged disruption—would likely take place in the deep sea. Given the complexity of this kind of operation, it would 'very likely involve state-sponsored threat actors,' the report stated. The report also indicated that this kind of sabotage would most likely take place before outright conflict, rather than during open conflict.
The cybersecurity company tracked and documented 44 cases of cable damage over the last 18 months. Of those: 25% were anchor dragging, nearly one-third were of unknown cause, and 16% were due to seismic or other natural events.