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French fiber optic cables cut in latest Olympics sabotage

27 points by AlphaWeaver 2y ago

Log_out_ 2y ago
If russia did it this thread will fill with noise&fogbots.
gnabgib 2y ago
(31+20 points, yesterday) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41098963 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41098963 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41101755 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41101755
Stevvo 2y ago
Many will be quick to place the blame on Russia or Iran, but in the absence of evidence try not to fall for propaganda. Wait for the fog-of-war to clear; eventually evidence will come out.
- qsdf38100 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - jazzyjackson 2y ago
    Better to avoid starting a war with your sworn enemies before you have to. Hurt feelings is not the worst possible outcome here. I'll note WWI was started not by a foreign enemy or occupying force, but by local radicals (granted, 'locals' only by annexation, I suppose the Austro-Hungarians were the occupying force in this case)
    - Aloisius 2y ago
      I think the danger of starting a world war over some internet speculation on this is minimal. The cuts had only a minimal impact anyway.
    - qsdf38100 2y ago
      Being weak vs Putin is what will start ww3. Same with Hitler, no amount of appeasing could have prevented ww2. Not letting Hitler build up his military (which wasn’t allowed by ww1 peace treaties) and annexe foreign land is what could have prevented ww2.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
- ManuelKiessling 2y ago
  From what I understood from following the general news reporting on this, France assumes that this was done by left-wing radicals.
- blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
  [flagged]
- bsder 2y ago
  While I have no problem blaming Russia or Iran, fiber optic cuts are notorious. There's an old joke about a sysadmin who used to hike and why he kept optic fibre in his backpack: "If I ever get lost, I'll just bury that cable in the ground. In an hour a backhoe will come along to dig it up."
  - brianwawok 2y ago
    This isn’t 1 cable got cut, it’s multiple cables 100s of miles apart during the same night.
    - Log_out_ 2y ago
      Very organized. Like by a larger group. Or state organized it. And contrary to popular beliefs a ton of anarchists/lefty groups think the nerves of global society sacrosanct. Resulting in putin hireing basically mercs.
- floxy 2y ago
  >eventually evidence will come out. What's the latest on the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage? https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/qa-what-is-known-about-nord-stream-gas-pipeline-explosions-2023-09-26/ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/qa-what-is-known-about-...
  - ganeshkrishnan 2y ago
    https://youtu.be/xWUuhNd37WI?si=FdNzrkCLEKT54_Nh https://youtu.be/xWUuhNd37WI?si=FdNzrkCLEKT54_Nh
  - hulitu 2y ago
    Russians did it. With the help of the CIA. /s
- pedalpete 2y ago
  I doubt it the aim of disrupting French Olympics would be the act of a state. It's more likely local French anarchists who are just looking to cause some disruption in any way they can. Unlike something like Nord Stream, what's the end goal of disrupting the media distribution of Olympic events? Also, cutting a fiber optic cable doesn't take significant resources. A shovel (maybe a jack hammer), a side-angle grinder, and knowledge of where the cables run.
  - tw04 2y ago
    > what's the end goal of disrupting the media distribution of Olympic events? Retaliation for being banned from participating? I have no more evidence than anyone else on HN, but there’s pretty clear motive for Russia to do something like this. A big enough deal to remind the west they can strike in the heart of Europe, but a benign enough act that it wouldn’t call for an escalation in Ukraine.
    - dgimla20 2y ago
      Given that the previous act of sabotage was a far-left wing activist, it's highly likely this was the same. Russia's retaliation for Russian athletes (competing under a Russian flag) being banned is to domestically censor the Olympics and promote alternative competitions (the World Friendship Games and BRICS Games).
  - hulitu 2y ago
    > Unlike something like Nord Stream, what's the end goal of disrupting the media distribution of Olympic events? Well, taking into account the quality of the transmission during opening ceremony, i think it is an insider job or just normal cost cutting.
ChrisArchitect 2y ago
[dupe] Yesterday's news Some more discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41101755 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41101755

27 points by AlphaWeaver 2y ago

If russia did it this thread will fill with noise&fogbots.

(31+20 points, yesterday) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41098963 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41098963 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41101755 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41101755

Stevvo 2y ago

Many will be quick to place the blame on Russia or Iran, but in the absence of evidence try not to fall for propaganda. Wait for the fog-of-war to clear; eventually evidence will come out.

qsdf38100 2y ago
[flagged]
- jazzyjackson 2y ago
  Better to avoid starting a war with your sworn enemies before you have to. Hurt feelings is not the worst possible outcome here. I'll note WWI was started not by a foreign enemy or occupying force, but by local radicals (granted, 'locals' only by annexation, I suppose the Austro-Hungarians were the occupying force in this case)
  - Aloisius 2y ago
    I think the danger of starting a world war over some internet speculation on this is minimal. The cuts had only a minimal impact anyway.
  - qsdf38100 2y ago
    Being weak vs Putin is what will start ww3. Same with Hitler, no amount of appeasing could have prevented ww2. Not letting Hitler build up his military (which wasn’t allowed by ww1 peace treaties) and annexe foreign land is what could have prevented ww2.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
ManuelKiessling 2y ago
From what I understood from following the general news reporting on this, France assumes that this was done by left-wing radicals.
blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
[flagged]
bsder 2y ago
While I have no problem blaming Russia or Iran, fiber optic cuts are notorious. There's an old joke about a sysadmin who used to hike and why he kept optic fibre in his backpack: "If I ever get lost, I'll just bury that cable in the ground. In an hour a backhoe will come along to dig it up."
- brianwawok 2y ago
  This isn’t 1 cable got cut, it’s multiple cables 100s of miles apart during the same night.
  - Log_out_ 2y ago
    Very organized. Like by a larger group. Or state organized it. And contrary to popular beliefs a ton of anarchists/lefty groups think the nerves of global society sacrosanct. Resulting in putin hireing basically mercs.
floxy 2y ago
>eventually evidence will come out. What's the latest on the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage? https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/qa-what-is-known-about-nord-stream-gas-pipeline-explosions-2023-09-26/ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/qa-what-is-known-about-...
- ganeshkrishnan 2y ago
  https://youtu.be/xWUuhNd37WI?si=FdNzrkCLEKT54_Nh https://youtu.be/xWUuhNd37WI?si=FdNzrkCLEKT54_Nh
- hulitu 2y ago
  Russians did it. With the help of the CIA. /s
pedalpete 2y ago
I doubt it the aim of disrupting French Olympics would be the act of a state. It's more likely local French anarchists who are just looking to cause some disruption in any way they can. Unlike something like Nord Stream, what's the end goal of disrupting the media distribution of Olympic events? Also, cutting a fiber optic cable doesn't take significant resources. A shovel (maybe a jack hammer), a side-angle grinder, and knowledge of where the cables run.
- tw04 2y ago
  > what's the end goal of disrupting the media distribution of Olympic events? Retaliation for being banned from participating? I have no more evidence than anyone else on HN, but there’s pretty clear motive for Russia to do something like this. A big enough deal to remind the west they can strike in the heart of Europe, but a benign enough act that it wouldn’t call for an escalation in Ukraine.
  - dgimla20 2y ago
    Given that the previous act of sabotage was a far-left wing activist, it's highly likely this was the same. Russia's retaliation for Russian athletes (competing under a Russian flag) being banned is to domestically censor the Olympics and promote alternative competitions (the World Friendship Games and BRICS Games).
- hulitu 2y ago
  > Unlike something like Nord Stream, what's the end goal of disrupting the media distribution of Olympic events? Well, taking into account the quality of the transmission during opening ceremony, i think it is an insider job or just normal cost cutting.

ChrisArchitect 2y ago

[dupe] Yesterday's news Some more discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41101755 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41101755