"Russia, perhaps, poses a great danger to the UK and other NATO countries, as it can cut underwater cables vital to international trade and the Internet," warned British Chief of Defense Staff Sir Stuart Peach, "The Guardian. "Russian ships appear regularly near Atlantic cables, through which communication is going on between the United States and Europe and other countries of the world," reads the article. Chief Air Marshal Peach, who was appointed chairman of the NATO Military Committee in September, said that Russia continues to develop non-traditional methods of warfare. He added that the threats, including for submarine cables, mean that the UK and its allies must match the Russian Navy in terms of upgrading its fleet. "There is a new threat to our prosperity and way of life, the cables that cross the seabed, the disabling of which by cutting cables or destroying immediately - and catastrophically - interrupting international trade and the Internet," he said..

"This warning was received two weeks after the center-right Analytical Center Policy Exchange published a report stating that 97% of global communications and daily financial transactions amounting to $ 10 trillion are made through such cables," the publication notes.. Despite these warnings, Russian vessels can simply access cables to intercept communications in order to collect intelligence - which has long been done by Americans and Britons, rather than trying to cut them or disrupt communications, the newspaper writes..