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Politico (27 September 2022)

BY CHARLIE COOPER AND CHARLIE DUXBURY

Europe’s energy crisis appears to be entering a dangerous new phase.

Should suspicions be confirmed — or simply grow — that Russia was behind explosions that caused three leaks on the two Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea on Monday, the security implications for the Continent would be far-reaching. The idea that the EU's undersea energy and communications infrastructure were now a Russian target would force European militaries to prepare for a largely unexpected new front in the Ukraine war that could bring them into a direct showdown with Russia's navy. 

Britain has long expressed fears that Russian submarines in the Atlantic and other northern waters could be looking to strike undersea cables crucial to the internet. This week's explosions make those fears seem less fanciful and rekindle memories of the height of the Cold War, when NATO and Soviet fleets — and particularly their submarines — played high-stakes games of cat-and-mouse in the Baltic. 

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