The Pentagon fears damage to the undersea cables that provide Internet to Western countries

The US military and intelligence agencies are concerned about the activity of Russian submarines and spy ships near key undersea cables that provide global Internet, The New York Times writes , citing sources.

According to the publication, US intelligence agencies are concerned about the possibility of Russia, in the event of aggravation of relations , damaging these cables, which provide communications to the governments of Western countries and citizens. The threat of interception of data passing through these channels was ruled out by American intelligence agencies during the Cold War, the newspaper notes.

Despite the absence of any evidence of damage to the cables, US wariness of the activities of the Russian armed forces is only increasing. The Pentagon and other U.S. intelligence agencies assessing Russian activity near the cables have not publicly discussed the details of the issue and are secretive about what they intend to do in the event of possible damage to the cables. More than a dozen officials confirmed to the publication that the Pentagon is really taking this issue seriously.

“I worry every day about what the Russians might do,” said US submarine commander Frederick Regge.

According to the publication, in September, the Russian submarine Yantar, equipped with two deep-sea vehicles, moved from the US East Coast to Cuba, where near the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay one of the main cables runs . Representatives of the US Navy said that the Yantar and similar submarines have the ability to damage communication cables even at great depths.

Russian submarines near underwater communications alerted the United States