I‘m not surprised by the warning from Britain’s top military officer, given on Thursday, that Russia poses a growing threat to undersea communication cables between Europe and the U.S.

According to Stuart Peach, Britain’s equivalent to the chairman of the joint chiefs, Russia is developing new means with which to disrupt “sea lines of communication” and thus “catastrophically effect both our economy and other ways of living.” There are two parts to this emerging capability: Russia “continues to perfect both unconventional capabilities and information warfare” techniques and Russian President Vladimir Putin has a “higher risk appetite” (Peach is definitely correct about the risk appetite) than before.