From cyberattacks to energy pipeline sabotage, Russia has already demonstrated that it is willing and capable of deploying indirect attacks on NATO allies.
- Oct 13, 2022, 4:00 PM CDTDefense experts warn, however, Putin does have other tools in his arsenal to lash out at the West.
"All of these methods of attack would be more logical for Russia to pursue" than a direct military attack on NATO facilities or use of a nuclear weapon, said Sean Monaghan, an analyst at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies who previously served at the British Defense Ministry.
Russia-controlled Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines suffered extensive damage in late September when several hundred pounds of explosives were detonated, according to Danish and Swedish investigators, in what Biden and other Western officials have called sabotage. William Courtney, a former career diplomat who took part in U.S.-Soviet defense talks, also said Russia is more likely escalate by attacking a pipeline, Internet cable, or satellite.In addition to other factors, a strike against Poland might not be successful, he said -- the country has strong armed forces and is on high alert.
The cables also provide power for Space Norway to run the Svalbard Satellite Station, one of only two ground stations that can download data from polar-orbiting satellites.that the SvalSat site could be used to download data from military satellites as well as commercial satellites. "Western economies are reliant on this data exchange as we have predominantly digital knowledge economies, and Russia knows that," he said."So, I do see the gas pipeline explosions as a kind of an implicit warning around advanced undersea capabilities, which NATO has to respond to."
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