Although we are mostly using wireless connections today, we are still highly reliant on physical environments in order to communicate with each other.
What I am trying to point out is that most of our heavy internet traffic travels over fiber cables buried under the ground and under the seas or oceans. It is not only about the IP network, it is about the availability of electricity. If there is no electricity, then there is also no internet. (Layer 1 availability is much more important than most people are aware of.)
An electricity cable between Finland and Estonia was sabotaged last week (25 Dec 2024), causing the operator of Finland's national grid (Estlink 2) to remain out of service. (The alleged perpetrators are members of the shadow fleet of Russia.)
The damaged cable had a transmission capacity of 650 megawatts and is 170km long (105 miles). Repairs are expected to take "several months." (Yes, critical infrastructure security is a major concern.)
Finnish police are investigating whether a Russian ship was involved in the sabotage.
"The authorities said on Thursday that they believe the anchor of the Eagle S, a tanker registered with the Cook Islands, may have damaged the Estlink 2 cable, which became disconnected on Wednesday (25 Dec 2024).
The vessel is thought to be part of Russia's 'shadow fleet', which is made up of ships that carry embargoed Russian oil products.
It is the latest in a series of incidents in recent years, in which underwater cables in the Baltic region have been either damaged or severed completely."
"The EU has threatened to impose further sanctions against Russia as a result of the incident and said it was 'strengthening efforts to protect undersea cables'.
'We strongly condemn any deliberate destruction of Europe's critical infrastructure,' the European Commission and the EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said in a joint statement."
"A telecommunications cable running between Finland and Germany was severed in November (2024), and an internet link between Lithuania and Sweden's Gotland Island stopped working at around the same time."
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