Undersea ‘hybrid warfare’ threatens security of 1bn, Nato commander warns

Damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline that connects Finland and Estonia across the Baltic Sea, which Finland suggested was probably purposely inflicted by a Chinese ship. Photograph: Finnish Border Guard/Reuters

The security of nearly 1 billion people across Europe and North America is under threat from Russian attempts to target the extensive vulnerabilities of underwater infrastructure including windfarms, pipelines and power cables, a Nato commander has warned.

V Adm Didier Maleterre, the deputy commander of Nato’s Allied Maritime Command (Marcom), said the network of underwater cables and pipes on which Europe’s power and communications depend were not built to withstand the “hybrid warfare” being pursued by Moscow and other Nato adversaries.