A similar incident occurred in October 2023 when a Chinese ship’s trailing anchor caused damage to two underwater cables and a gas network. Chinese authorities acknowledged ten months after that the accident-caused damage caused by the fleet NewNew Polar Bear, which was initially denied responsibility.
However, without permanent monitoring, it is difficult to create intentionality, or perhaps attribution, in such incidents. Claims are unlikely to harm escalation unless grief can be proven beyond all reasonable question given the high stakes.  ,
AN Rising Matrix OF Danger
Given the immensity of the Earth’s waters, and the large number of underwater cables, securing the international network in its totality is difficult. However, many cables run through global waters, where there is no efficient regime to hold potential culprits responsible.
Underwater cables are essential to the operation of the internet, and while it is impossible to establish whether the cable incidents in the Baltic Sea were harmful, they offer an example of how sabotage comparable to those that have been committed as part of a cross technique.
For instance, in 2023, two undersea cables connecting Taiwan with its Matsu territories were cut by Chinese non-naval vessels, disconnecting 14, 000 people from the internet for 50 days. It is not difficult to see how a situation like this could help military operations in the event of war, despite the lack of any proof that this was China’s intention.
The Asia Pacific and its numerous cables make a good place to look for potential hybrid players. For instance, the Straits of Malacca is a crucial chokepoint for the state’s underwater wires, responsible for providing information relationship between Asia, India, the Middle East and Europe, and with its relatively shallow waters, run a higher risk of incidents. Really an incident occur it, the impact on regional connectivity may be important.