[diggan]

> The situation escalated beyond probing

Not sure we understand "probing" differently. Russian currently is at the edges, testing the responses from things like cutting cables and otherwise interfering with the infrastructure. This is what "probing" means for me. "Beyond probing" would be actually launching attacks one way or another, which we haven't seen yet (except of course, for the Ukraine invasion).

[onlypassingthru]

> actually launching attacks one way or another, which we haven't seen yet

On the contrary. The attacks have been ongoing for years now. You're looking for the tanks and missiles when the attack is actually happening right under your feet. Rot and corruption are more powerful than any bullets or missiles.

[lifestyleguru]

> Rot and corruption are more powerful than any bullets or missiles.

The developed world knows this even better. Offering yachts, real estate, supercars, prostitutes, and other luxuries to oligarchs. Thanks to this their military is rather in shambles right now.

[Terr_]

... Wow, this must be peak Kremlin shilling: Blaming other countries for Russia's decades of kleptocratic leadership and endemic corruption at all levels.

It's historically, financially, and strategically incoherent. Trying to bribe people who are already rich with hard-to-hide things, just to make them extra-corrupt in the vague hope that it somehow results in pilfered AK-47s being sold on the black market?

Sorry, but no: Being shaken down by Russian traffic cops for bribes every week is a domestic problem.

[onlypassingthru]

Does it? You think Russia can't corrupt a German Chancellor or a US President? Boy have I got news for you!

[euroderf]

A next step for them might be to disable/poison something like an entire urban water distribution system. But come to think of it, the US et al. might be able to do the same back to Russia. Because, you see, there is a whole 'nother ladder of escalation to explore.

A submarine cable is an attractive target for Russia because Russia doesn't have cables of their own exposed: Russia is a continental power, not a maritime alliance. A cable attack is an asymmetric attack, difficult to respond to appropriately.

[mongol]

I recently saw a cable from St Petersburg to Kaliningrad at one of these maps.

[jajko]

It would be a shame if somebody dragged a massive ship anchor over it by accident. Through potato field.

[Terr_]

Again? [0]

> The 1,000 kilometre (620 miles) Baltika cable belonging to state-owned Rostelecom runs from the region of St. Petersburg to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the southern Baltic Sea.

> A gas pipeline linking Finland and Estonia and two other telecoms cables, connecting Estonia to Finland and Sweden, were also damaged last month. Finnish police believe damage to the Baltic connector gas pipeline was caused by a Chinese container ship dragging its anchor along the seabed but have not concluded whether this was an accident or a deliberate act.

> The Finnish coast guard said the Russian outage may be linked to the previously reported damage.

[0] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/finland-says-russian-ba...

[fsckboy]

>"Beyond probing" would be actually launching attacks one way or another, which we haven't seen yet

he's saying "this was not a probe, this was an actually launched attack"