Is this something we as an industry should be working together on to understand the risk and how we may be able to cooperate with each other to mitigate the risks and recover rapidly (such as pre-positioning cable repair ships at times of elevated risk) ?

As the situation in Ukraine vis-a-vis an invasion by Russia deteriorates [0] Russia has today told the Irish government it intends to conduct naval live-fire exercises February 3-8 in a small area of the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) 160 nautical miles (~240km) SSW, off Mizen Head [1], coincidentally where the major fibre optic cables between Europe and North America drop off the continental shelf into deep water [2].

This is the location of several major shipping routes [3] and will also cause an air exclusion zone between 0400-1400 each day.

Combined with suspected interference with similar cables off the north-west coast in August 2021 by a Russian Oceanographic Survey ship [3] there is potential for major interference or disruption to multiple cables simultaneously.

[0] https://liveuamap.com/

[1] https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/01/russian-navy-live-firing-off-irish-coast-during-tensions/

[2] https://world3dmap.com/submarine-cable-map/

[3] https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/08/russian-spy-ship-yantar-loitering-near-trans-atlantic-internet-cables/