SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
EU leaders suspect sabatoge:
An internet cable connecting Finland to Germany and another one between Lithuania and Sweden, both running under the Baltic Sea, were cut within 24 hours of one another. While accidental damage on undersea cables happens, CNN says these are rare events. So, the disruption of two cables around 65 miles apart and happening nearly simultaneously is a sign of sabotage, says German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
"Nobody believes that these cables were accidentally severed," said Pistorius. "We have to know that, without knowing specifically who it came from, that it is a hybrid action, and we also have to assume that, without knowing by whom yet, that this is sabotage." The Finnish and German foreign ministers have also issued a joint statement, saying, "The fact that such an incident immediately raises suspicious of intentional damage speaks volumes about the volatility of our times." They also add, "Our European security is not only under threat from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine but also from hybrid warfare by malicious actors."
These events came a few months after NATO warned that Russia was developing strategies to disrupt the global internet, with the latter mapping undersea fiber optic cables as future reference. Right before the suspected sabotage occurred, the US government also recently allowed Ukraine to use some long-range US weapons to attack targets in the Kursk region inside Russia, enflaming tensions further and heightening suspicions of Russian involvement.
[...] Despite these attacks, internet disruption remains limited. Telia Lithuania, the company that runs the Lithuania-Sweden cable, says that the damaged cable handled about a third of Lithuania's internet capacity but that traffic has already been restored even though the cable is yet to be repaired. Cinia, the company behind Finland-Germany fiber optic cable, also confirmed that service through that line was down. It also said that its telecommunications network is run through multiple links, thus limiting disruption.
Update 11/20/2024 03:38 PT: The Danish Navy has boarded and detained the Chinese Bulk Carrier Yi Peng 3 in the Danish Straits, near the exit of the Great Belt, according to reports in Eurasia Daily and Defence24. The detention reportedly took place on the evening of November 18. Officials have not verified those reports, however. According to Financial Times sources, Swedish authorities are "carefully studying the Chinese vessel."
Related:
- Opinion: What's Really Up With Data Disconnects in the Deep Blue Sea?
- UK Official Warns of Russian Risk to Undersea Cables
- Could Russian Subs Stop the Internet?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by pTamok on Thursday November 21, @07:45PM (15 children)
That the Danes have boarded a Chinese registered* vessel. China has a tendency to respond to things they can describe as 'provocations', so the Danes must have very good reasons for doing so.
The largest container ships in the world are owned and operated by Mærsk, a Danish company - modifying the schedule of one of those costs Mærsk a lot of money, and I wouldn't put it past the Chinese to indulge in a little tit-for-tat. I'm sure that Maersk are not happy at this turn of events.
If a Chinese ship has being doing sabotage ( a big if ), then what does that say about the relationship between the Chinese and the Russians, for example.
All very odd.
*I'm assuming it is Chinese registered
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Frosty Piss on Thursday November 21, @08:46PM
Since the majority of cheap Chinese consumer crap is shipped all over the world for the most part on Mærsk, perhaps Mærsk has more leverage than you think.
(Score: 3, Funny) by VLM on Thursday November 21, @09:04PM (1 child)
Possibly a lot, but possibly nothing at all, after all the best way to test a new weapon is to be certain someone else will get blamed.
Going the other way around, in the modern era of cheap OTDR to measure the location of a break accurate to the meter almost instantly, and AIS monitoring the position of ships accurate to the meter, it does take a certain kind of stupid to float right over the top of your own weapon deployment; so possibly it indicates there's no relationship at all because it would be "ha ha funny" to make the Chinese take all the blame. OTOH if they were an innocent merchant they'd want to get inspected and get the heck out of there because they have commerce to do; so being all "weird" about it would almost prove they were up to something.
Also never overlook the incredible power of human stupidity and mere coincidence. Whoops a Daisy forgot to tighten the clamps on our shipping container full of collectible "Supreme" lead bricks and it landed on top of somebodies fiber... what me worry? Oh no that wasn't me I was just innocently sailing right overhead LOLs.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by krishnoid on Thursday November 21, @10:59PM
Two crushes or breaks within 24 hours of each other, maybe. Two cuts in that time period, you're getting up there [goodreads.com].
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 21, @09:09PM (1 child)
This is not the first time a Chinese ship cut marine cables around there, intentionally (don't get me started on any bullshit excuses), for their orc friends.
------
Slava Ukraini! Slay the orcs!
(Score: 3, Touché) by DannyB on Thursday November 21, @09:24PM
The age of men is over. The time of the Orc has come.
Some people need assistants to hire some assistance.
Other people need assistance to hire some assistants.
(Score: 3, Informative) by corey on Thursday November 21, @09:17PM
Yeah I didn’t see that it’s been boarded yet. Just watched.
But I’ve seen interesting discussions and opinions that the Chinese are more involved in Ukraine than we realise. Firstly, NK can’t do anything without approval from Uncle Winnie. They have engaged in the Ukraine invasion completely (armament, troops).
Smells like some geopolitics at play.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by driverless on Thursday November 21, @10:03PM (8 children)
The big question about ever-popular blame-China is why would they do this? I mean, you can invent all sorts of conspiracy theories but why would they engage in something that's pure provocation while having almost no effect apart from the provocation itself?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by krishnoid on Thursday November 21, @10:31PM (6 children)
Testing the [sic] waters?
(Score: 2) by RedGreen on Friday November 22, @12:30AM (5 children)
"Testing the [sic] waters?"
Exactly seeing how far the spineless bastards we have in charge will let them go, same as their Russian, Iranian and North Korean buddies have been doing. So far they have proven the slimy bastards we have in charge will do as little as possible to defend our interests. They are more than happy to allow it to happen as long as their parasite corporate buddies get to make boat loads of cash exploiting their slave labour to kill our jobs. Keeping the compliant little serfs in check in our countries they want.
"I modded down, down, down, and the flames went higher." -- Sven Olsen
(Score: 2, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Friday November 22, @01:13AM (4 children)
BRICS is more than a currency, it's choosing a side.
🌻🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 22, @08:06AM
BRICS doesn't have a currency, has no plans to have a currency, and there is no feasible pathway to having a currency. Adopting a national currency as an exchange unit would give one country undue power and influence on top of introducing a single point of failure, which is against the wishes of many members and prospective members who suffer under the "rules based order". Creating a currency solely for the purposes of exchange can also introduces vulnerabilities (currency trading/speculation attacks) unless it's for purely internal accounting use, in which case it wouldn't be available for the vast majority of commercial trade between members. The members also don't want to be too closely tied together or forced into circumstances where they can't afford to take their ball and go home - not an alliance or political organization, everyone just wants to facilitate trade between each other.
(Score: 3, Touché) by fraxinus-tree on Friday November 22, @08:08AM (2 children)
Since when BRICS is a currency? Do you know anyone trading in BRICS? A bank serving loans and deposits in BRICS? Coinage or notes issued? Exchange rates to some other currency, at least?
(Score: 4, Funny) by driverless on Friday November 22, @11:44AM
About 180 million Minecraft players?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Friday November 22, @12:21PM
Well, technically one might call it an anti-currency then. A central theme of BRICS (as written up in the news sources I have seen) is to break the US dollar's hegemony.
🌻🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2, Interesting) by khallow on Friday November 22, @01:27PM