Russia’s Security Council aide, Nikolai Patrushev, recently issued a stark warning that the United States and United Kingdom are plotting to sabotage undersea internet cables and disrupt global maritime energy trade. He alleged that these Western powers were behind the unexplained attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022 and that they aim to destabilize critical infrastructure in a bid to promote their economic interests.
Patrushev, a former Security Council secretary and close ally of Vladimir Putin, voiced these accusations in an interview with Russian newspaper Kommersant, suggesting that only NATO’s special forces possess the sophisticated technology and expertise required to conduct such deep-sea sabotage. Although Moscow initially blamed the U.S. for the Nord Stream incident, Swedish and Danish investigations found evidence of sabotage but closed without attributing responsibility, and a German probe is ongoing. German authorities have issued a European arrest warrant for a Ukrainian national potentially connected to the pipeline attack, though Patrushev dismissed claims that Ukraine’s navy could execute such an operation, pointing instead to NATO as the suspected actor.
In a statement to Newsweek, a British Foreign Office spokesperson declined to respond to Russia’s “conspiracy theories.” However, reports from CNN in September noted that Russia’s defense ministry has developed a specialized unit equipped with submarines and drones for targeting underwater assets. This escalation is particularly concerning as Russia reportedly increases its maritime presence near NATO’s infrastructure. Norwegian media have highlighted Russia’s intelligence vessel, Yantar, which recently sailed near Norway’s oil and telecommunications infrastructure.
Patrushev’s statements add to tensions in global security, particularly as concerns grow over potential attacks on fiber-optic cables that underpin the world’s internet connectivity. Russia’s accusations raise alarms about possible retaliatory actions and signal the emergence of underwater infrastructure as a new front in international conflicts.