NATO Warned Russia Could Trigger Global Internet Blackout

While the Biden administration stumbles over foreign policy blunders and keeps one eye on Ukraine and the other on climate change, a very real and immediate threat is lurking beneath the waves and NATO knows it.

Major European telecom companies are warning that Russia could cripple the global internet by sabotaging undersea cables that carry over 95% of the world’s international data. These cables, often overlooked by the general public, form the fragile spine of everything from global banking to emergency communications. In a letter addressed to NATO, companies including Vodafone, Telefonica, and Orange urged urgent action to protect these vital lifelines.

Let that sink in 500+ undersea cables, some stretching thousands of miles across oceans, could be cut or compromised at any moment, with the flip of a switch or worse, the silent pass of a Russian submarine.

• Since October 2023, 11 cables have already been damaged, mostly in the Baltic Sea, a hotspot of recent Russian naval activity.

• In September 2021, a Russian spy ship named Yantar equipped with unmanned submersibles was spotted in the English Channel. Russian state media has boasted the ship can cut internet cables and jam underwater sensors.

• NATO has responded with 10 ships deployed under “Baltic Sentry,” a mission aimed at defending undersea infrastructure following a rise in mysterious attacks on power and data links.

This isn’t speculation. It’s a test run. Russia, through its so-called "shadow fleet," is probing Western defenses and searching for vulnerabilities in one of our least-defended domains. According to U.K. officials, our undersea internet cable network is a "vulnerable soft underbelly" and Moscow knows it.

And yet, where is the strong response from Washington?

Biden’s national security apparatus has been more focused on policing speech at home than deterring real threats abroad. While our enemies are mapping undersea choke points, our leadership is chasing phantom climate ghosts and subsidizing wind farms. Meanwhile, Putin is playing a dangerous game of chess one that could cut off the lights, the money, and the lifelines of millions across the globe.

If these cables were severed, the consequences wouldn’t stop at spotty Wi-Fi. Financial transactions could freeze. Emergency services could go dark. Global communications could grind to a halt. The economic and security fallout would be immediate and massive.

This is a national security issue. It’s time we treated it like one.

President Trump, during his first term, was mocked for emphasizing NATO member contributions and pressing Europe to take defense seriously. But here we are on the edge of a potentially catastrophic digital blackout and his warnings ring louder than ever. America needs leadership that understands the threats we face, and isn’t afraid to name them and confront them head-on.

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