OMX Helsinki — S&P 500 — DAX — NASDAQ 100 — STOXX 600 — EUR/USD — EUR/SEK — BTC/USD — ETH/USD — Euribor 3M — Euribor 12M —
DW News

DW News

Society and politics 6,460,000 subscribers

The undersea war: Who is threatening the cables that connect the world? | DW News

10.10.2026
Published: 10.10.2026 Category: Society and politics

Episode details

Episode description

A hidden war may already be unfolding beneath the world's oceans. Undersea cables carry almost all intercontinental internet data, but a series of incidents in the Baltic Sea has raised fears of sabotage by Russia and other hostile actors. Could attacks on this vital infrastructure cripple Western economies? And can NATO protect thousands of kilometres of cables and pipelines? We speak to Elisabeth Braw, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of The Undersea War, about Russia, China and the growing battle for control of the ocean floor. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: States scramble to shield undersea infrastructure 01:22 Interview Elisabeth Braw 01:53 Dependency of economies and everyday lives on undersea cables and pipelines 03:18 What would happen if a malign actor cut major undersea cables simultaneously? 05:09 Has the undersea war already started? 07:37 Why proving undersea sabotage is difficult 10:03 What exactly happens after sabotage incidents? 11:46 Can undersea infrastructure realistically be protected? #UnderseaCables #Internet #NATO #dwnews For more news go to: http://www.dw.com/en/ Follow DW on social media: ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwnews ►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dwnews ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deutschewellenews/ ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/dwnews ►Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/DWNews/ Für Videos in deutscher Sprache besuchen Sie: https://www.youtube.com/dwdeutsch Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/deutschewelleenglish?sub_confirmation=1

Open the AI assistant chat. The chat loads only when you open it.