The end of VPN in Eastern Europe? This massive new subsea cable project looks to bypass Russia entirely - so is this a new age for Internet safety

Date:
Sat, 25 Oct 2025 15:36:00 +0000

Description:
Kardesa project seeks safer routes for global data, but true digital independence remains tangled in geopolitics and regional instability.

FULL STORY
A new undersea cable project is set to link Bulgaria, Georgia, Turkey, and Ukraine without passing through Russian waters.

The new Kardesa route, expected to begin construction in 2027, would
establish a new digital corridor between Europe and Asia, one that avoids the political and physical vulnerabilities of existing systems.

Currently, the Submarine Cable Map shows only one cable crossing the Black
Sea between Georgia and Bulgaria, with others connecting nearby states but still touching routes influenced by Moscow.

Security beneath the waves

The Kardesa line could therefore change regional internet routing by
providing a more direct and independent link, at a time when the security of global data transfer remains uncertain.

Recent incidents in the Red Sea have revealed how fragile undersea networks
can be, after several cables were disrupted and global traffic slowed between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

The idea behind Kardesa, and other projects such as Metas planned 50,000-kilometer global cable , is to ensure that when one path fails or is sabotaged, another can maintain service.

Some call this route diversity, and it is quickly becoming a strategic
priority rather than a technical one.

Countries are now investing in systems that can detect or deter sabotage. Germanys AP Sensing developed sonar-based monitoring tools to identify interference.

For more security, NATO has started using drones to patrol maritime routes
that host vital infrastructure.

Even so, the claim that bypassing Russia automatically makes the internet
safer invites skepticism.

Routing changes might avoid one geopolitical hotspot but expose others. Ukraine, through which part of the Kardesa cable will pass, remains a zone of uncertainty.

The plan to run the cable only through internationally recognized safe areas might limit risk but cannot remove it entirely.

Likewise, avoiding Russia does not protect against cyber intrusion or remote interference with signal infrastructure.

As with digital privacy tools such as the best VPN or secure router ,
physical safeguards offer only part of a complex solution.

If this new connection succeeds, it could mark a shift in how Europe and its partners view online independence.

Via Tom's Hardware

======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/the-end-of-vpn-in-eastern-europe-this-massive-ne w-subsea-cable-project-looks-to-bypass-russia-entirely-so-is-this-a-new-age-fo r-internet-safety

$$
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

Mike Powell wrote to All <=-

The end of VPN in Eastern Europe? This massive new subsea cable project looks to bypass Russia entirely - so is this a new age for Internet
safety

I just picked up a book called "The Web Beneath The Waves", but Samanth Submaranian. It's all about the undersea cables we take for granted.

Another interesting story was a long article in Wired called "Mother
World, Mother Board", written by Neil Stephenson about the world's
depencency on undersea cables and interviews people in the business of
laying undersea fiber. Interesting read - I was just thinking last week
about going to MAE-West and trying to see if I could see where the fiber
came in.



--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/700)

Kurt Weiske wrote to Mike Powell <=-

The end of VPN in Eastern Europe? This massive new subsea cable project looks to bypass Russia entirely - so is this a new age for Internet
safety

I just picked up a book called "The Web Beneath The Waves", but Samanth Submaranian. It's all about the undersea cables we take for granted.

I never really thought about them until Russian and Chinese ships started dragging anchors in the Baltic in apparent attempts to snare and break the cables. Something I'd have never expected but here we are.

Mike


... So easy, a child could do it. Child sold separately.
--- MultiMail/DOS v0.52
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)